It Happened One Night
by Lunabeegood
Summary: After being unknowingly kidnapped, Hermione finds herself in a precarious position and Snape, in a rare moment of understanding, decides to help her. The result is an interesting marriage and a mystery surrounding Hermione that intensifies.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione Granger woke up feeling odd one early October morning. She had been unusually exhausted last night and fallen asleep around 8pm at her desk and somehow had ended up in bed in her nightgown. It was the noise of the common room outside her door that woke her and made her try and get her brain functioning through her groggy fog.

"I must have really been out of it," she muttered to herself as she threw her legs over the edge of the bed. "Too much studying."

She snickered to herself. 'As if..."

******************************************  
"Headmistress," Madame Pomfey interrupted McGonagall's thoughts. "We have a problem..."

"Madame Pomfey, the students are about to depart for the holiday and I really need to go and see them off at the final meal." The Headmistress bustled past her mediwitch without a second thought.

"But headmistress!" Madame Pomfey called after her.

"Is anyone's life in danger?"

"No."

"Then it can wait an hour and..." Minerva said as she approached the door to exit her office.

"Hermione Granger is pregnant."

"Poppy?" Minerva asked as she turned to look at her friend.

"She was in the infirmary helping me go through our stock and get rid of expired potions; you know Severus won't ever help with..."

"Get to the important part Poppy," Minerva said as she approached the woman.

"She picked up a bottle of _Lensis Groute _and when she was examining the label I noticed it turned from pink to red."

"Could it have been an error?" Minerva asked.

"I serendipitously ran a test while she was otherwise occupied and...and I'm afraid it was correct."

"But, Hermione?" Minerva asked as she sat heavily in a nearby chair. "I thought the girl had more brains than that."

"Apparently not, but Minerva," Poppy paused to look at her stricken friend. "I'm not sure she knows."

"How could the girl not...?" Minerva asked before stopping. She was such a focused child, coming back after the war, after the fall of Voldemort, after her time hunting hocruxes and then her parents, to finish her NEWTS. She had single-handedly forced Potter and Weasley to do the same despite their desire to stay away from school permanently. She had studied like never before, she looked exhausted most of the time, and had pushed herself beyond her limits to get the best scores possible. She wanted to show everyone that a muggle-born was an even better witch than all those pure-blood followers. She wanted to stamp out the last of the pure-blood prejudices in the wizarding world.

"Shouldn't we tell her before...?"

"She deserves to know," Minerva said softly. "After dinner Poppy, join us up here."

****************************************  
"What?!" Hermione gasped as she looked from one woman to the next.

"My dear both tests..." Madame Pomfey began.

"Do it again!" Hermione yelled as she stood up. "Do it again! Now Madame Pomfey, do it now!"

Madame Pomfey waved her want over Hermione's abdomen and nodded solemnly. "The same."

"Head...Headmistress I...I...there's..."

"Is it Weasley?" Madame Pomfey asked. "I know you two..."

"Ron and I have never...we're not even together," Hermione said as she twirled her hair absently and started to pace. "We decided after I got back from Australia with my parents that things had cooled and we were better as friends."

"So, it's another young man?" the Headmistress asked softly.

"No, no, it's not!" Hermione said, almost hysterical.

"I'm sorry my dear," Madame Pomfey said as she stopped the girl from pacing. "But you need to tell us who..."

"I'm a virgin!" Hermione yelled as tears sprung from her eyes. "It's impossible for me to be pregnant. It's impossible!"

"You mean you've never...?" the Headmistress asked.

"Never!" Hermione said as she sat down heavily in the nearest chair. "I've never been with anyone. I've hardly gone beyond the kissing and groping stage. Unless I can get pregnant by someone touching my breast..."

"Of course not," Madame Pomfey said as she sat next to the girl.

"How far along am I?" She asked as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Just shy of 12 weeks," Madame Pomfey said as she placed a hand on the girl's knee. "Hermione was there a time when you blacked out, when someone gave you something to drink and things went fuzzy?"

"You think someone raped me?" Hermione asked as her eyes grew wide. "Wouldn't I...wouldn't I know?"

"Not if there was a potion involved, or you were obliviated," the Headmistress said as she walked to stand in front of the girl. "My dear, do you have any odd memory of a time...?"

"No!" Hermione cried. "I don't..."

She bent over herself and sobbed. Pregnancy and possible sexual assault? It was too much to absorb.

The two women comforted the young girl for quite some time, hoping that between the three of them they could come up with some sort of explanation.

"I think we need to call in Professor Snape," the Headmistress said when she noticed the girl start to calm. "He's a Legitimens and maybe with his help..."

"Anything," Hermione said as she wiped away her tears. "I want to know how this came to be and the sooner the better."

**********************************  
Professor Snape followed the mediwitch through the maze of hallways towards the Headmistress's office. He was always aware in times like this, when someone was in pain, that merriment always continued as if the world had not shifted. The Head Girl, and possibly the smartest witch to grace the halls of Hogwarts in many years, may have been the victim of a sexual assault. It was his job to find the scoundrel buried in her memories.

He scratched at a non-existent bite on his neck, all had healed but psychologically they would always be there for him. His recovery from Nagini had been long and painful but nary a person noticed the faint white scars that pocked his neck and face. Only he still felt them in times of stress.

They entered the Headmistress's office and he noticed the girl, red-nosed and pale crumpled on a loveseat in the corner of the room. Minerva sat sentry nearby.

"Thank you for coming Severus," Minerva said as he approached.

"I'm sorry for the circumstance," he said stoically as he watched the girl pull herself into a seated position as pat down her robes.

"I trust that Poppy has..." Minerva began.

"Yes," he said softly as he walked past Minerva and approached Hermione. "Miss Granger, I'm sorry that..."

"I don't remember anything," Hermione said as she looked into his eyes. "I know what you need to do, and I'll be grateful for any information you can provide."

He merely nodded and sat next to her on the loveseat. She turned to look him in the eyes. He placed his hand over hers and looked into her eyes. The connection would be stronger, yet subtler with the added bonus of contact.

He shifted through her memories as if they were a filing cabinet. He saw her at the feast, studying, watching Quidditch, laughing with some Gryffindor girls, sitting in class with her hand in the air. He shifted farther back, past Halloween, earlier into the month. There were no young men of note besides her two best friends and with neither did he see anything inappropriate. He got all the way back to the train ride to Hogwarts and saw nothing.

He broke contact with her eyes and her hand at the same time. "There's nothing."

"What do you mean nothing? I don't under..." Hermione asked.

"I saw a bunch of regular memories. An assault, particularly one of a sexual nature would have stood out like a sore thumb; it would have come forward for me to see. Nothing of the kind happened."

"But I haven't...I'm a..."

"You have not had sexual relations with anyone since school began; I stopped looking when I got back as far as the train." Snape explained.

"I've never had sex," she said in all seriousness. "How can I be pregnant if I haven't...?"

"You're not proposing immaculate conception?" Snape asked.

"Severus!" Minerva snapped.

"I'm...I'm sorry Miss Granger, I shouldn't have..."

"It's fine," Hermione shook her head deep in thought. "The same thing occurred to me as ridiculous as it is."

"I don't mean to be cold, but regardless of the...circumstances of this pregnancy, you are almost 12 weeks along and a choice as to whether you wish to continue with it needs to be made very soon."

Hermione nodded her head, acknowledging that there was more to this circumstance than just the conception.

"Do you think talking with your mother...?" Minerva asked.

Hermione chuckled darkly. "So she can kill me herself?"

"Perhaps, not." Snape said.

"The train is leaving in an hour," Poppy said as she looked at her watch. "You should take some time with this decision but I'm afraid if you want to terminate time is of the..."

"I can return her to her parent's house by Christmas eve," Snape interrupted when he saw Hermione's eyes grow wide. "You can inform them that you must stay to finish a project. That will give you time to make a proper decision."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you, I appreciate the gesture."

"I'll owl your parents and inform Mr Potter and Mr Weasley so they don't worry," Minerva explained. "Perhaps we can say the project must be done for you Severus?"

"That's fine," he said as he rose from his seat and looked down at the poor girl. "If you need anything Miss Granger..."

"I think I want you to look through my memories again, I can't just accept that there is no evidence. Perhaps Madame Pomfey could narrow it down to some dates. I need some answers and maybe..."

"Tomorrow morning." He said decisively. "It's too much to try again today."

"Thank you," she said as she closed her eyes and let out a breath.

************************************************** *********

"There was a night in early October where you felt odd, strange..." Snape said to her after their second session.

"Yeah, I was quite tired for a few days, felt like I had been bowled over or something. I thought it was too much studying or the flu. Why?" She asked.

"It stands out," he explained. "Things that stand out almost always have significance. It would be around the correct date but I see no evidence of an obliviate. There was no young man around in your memory."

"I don't have a boyfriend," she explained as she sat back in her chair.

"But there was no young man giving you a drink, handing you any food...I'm not sure how the poison was delivered to just you. A gas would be..."

"I was mainly in my room," Hermione said thinking back. "It was the weekend and I took most of my meals in my quarters as well. I was working on an Arithmancy Project that..."

"Who delivered your food?" Snape asked.

"House elves," she explained.

"Did anything taste off? Smell funny?"

"No, I would have noticed."

He got up and paced in her room.

"Professor, can I ask you something?"

He nodded his assent.

"What...what would you do...if you were me?"

He looked at her surprised by the question. "What I would do should not have any bearing on what you decide to do."

"But, but I am interested to know."

"As I am not a 19 year old pregnant girl that may have been assaulted, it would be hard for me to identif..."

"Please," she asked.

He walked over to her window and looked outside at the snow falling. She wasn't sure if he was going to grace her with a response.

"In the wizarding world, an unmarried pregnant woman is...rare. Even women of ill-repute use spells to prevent this from happening. You and your child, as much as it is wrong, would not be well received. You would find it hard to deal with the prejudice that is present in our world. What's worse your child, the innocent, would be subject to that same prejudice throughout his or her life."

She felt tears prickle the corners of her eyes. She knew everything that he was saying was true. She was surprised that even when said nicely, it stung.

"But, regardless of the circumstance of conception," he continued as his voice cracked slightly. "you have the opportunity to have a child. One that shouldn't be squandered. Many witches and wizards are not ever going to see that become a reality and...and despite the problems, the life of this child with a mother like you...well, how could he or she not be a force to be reckoned with?"

He turned and looked at her. The honesty in his comment was brutal and caught her breath.

"Thank you," she said softly.

He nodded and walked toward her door.

"I'd like to try again tomorrow, there are a few potions I can combine with Legitimens to possibly explore that night but I'd need to investigate the fetal ramifications."

"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve," she said softly.

"I'll take you to your parents by dinner time," he said with a nod before he shut the door.

"There's nothing that I can investigate without further research," Snape explained to Minerva. "Using Legitimens on a pregnant woman is one thing, but combining potions as well...I need more time before I can use anything else."

"I thought you used a potion this morning?" Minerva asked.

"It was extremely mild, Minerva, I thought I'd give it a shot but it made no real difference," he said as he rubbed his temple.

"But there was something?"

"There was, but without further intervention we may never see what really happened. I don't want to endanger the child..."

"It may not be an issue soon," Minerva explained. "She's with Poppy right now."

"She decided to terminate?" Snape asked as he walked toward the window.

"I think so, but they'll be up here shortly," Minerva said. "It's the right decision, Severus."

"As long as it was hers," he said softly.

"I didn't influence her, and I hope no one else tried to either," Minerva explained.

"Miss Granger will make up her own mind," he said as he looked outside at the snow.

"Maybe some time with her parents is just what she needs...then when she gets back, you can help her investigate what happened that night without fear of invitro harm."

He stood quietly at the window watching the snow and thinking of the unfortunate situation this innocent young woman had found herself in. Life was never fair.

Minerva went back to her paperwork and tried to keep busy while her potions professor stood quietly on the far side of the room.

Half an hour later a door opened and Poppy Pomfey entered with a sour look on her face followed by Hermione Granger.

"I'm so sorry my child," Minerva said as she got up from her desk. Snape slowly turned to look at the girl.

"I'm having the baby," Hermione said with more conviction than she felt.

"You're...what?" Minerva asked, shocked.

"I don't know how this came to be," Hermione started. "And as much as I would never have planned this, and I have no clue what to expect...I just can't decide that this shouldn't happen. In all of this, the only power I have over this whole situation is to make this choice. And I choose to make something positive come out of this."

"Hermione, I know Madame Pomfey explained that in the wizarding world..." Minerva began.

"I know what to expect, sort of," she said as she straightened her back. "But this child is half of me and he or she is going to be a strong-willed child that will be able to face whatever happens; just like me."

"I commend your choice," Minerva said, not very confidently.

"Are you ready to go to your parents?" Snape asked. it was the first time he spoke since she entered the room.

"Yes, but could we stop in Hogsmeade for one last gift?"

"Of course," Snape said as she walked toward her.

"Thank you for your help," Hermione said to Minerva and Madame Pomfey. She hugged them and teared up slightly.

"We'll be here for you when you return," Poppy offered as she hugged Hermione one more time.

"Please wish your parents my best and if they need further explanation..."

"I'll call you if I need you," Hermione said.

She followed Snape out of the room and they apparated into Hogsmeade.

"I just need to get something in Harriet's," Hermione explained.

Severus Snape looked across the street at the clothing shop and cringed. "Do you wish for me to accompany you inside?"

"No, I'll just be a minute."

She crossed the street and entered the shop hoping to quickly locate a magical baby item that might soften up her parents when she announced her news. She found the baby section and started picking up some baby nightgowns.

"Hermione!" Molly Weasley called to her. "Why aren't you home yet?"

"Mrs. Weasley, I...uh...I had to complete a project and needed to stay a couple more days." She said as she dropped the items back on the table.

Molly Weasley looked at the dropped items and a look of confusion passed over her face. "Baby items?"

"I'm looking for a gift for a friend," Hermione explained. "She's due any day and I thought I should..."

"That's a lovely thought dear but is she a muggle? Magic gifts are just ordinary outside of our world."

"Uh, yes, she's muggle" Hermione said, trying to think of a reasonable back story. "She's on her own and..."

"Not married?" Molly asked, shocked.

"Uh, yeah," Hermione said, thinking this might be a good gauge for her future.

Molly Weasley shook her head. "Things in the muggle world are so different than they are here."

"No witches have babies on their own?" Hermione tried to ask innocently.

"Gods, no!" Molly whispered as if the words were as shameful as the situation. "There are spells dear and any witch worth her salt would prevent such a...such a...travesty from happening. No, in our world women who are unmarried..."

"Can I help you ladies?" The sales witch interrupted.

"Uh, yeah," Hermione swallowed hard. Tears formed in her eyes. She needed to leave as soon as possible. "I need this baby nightgown please; I'm in a bit of a rush. Can you wrap it as well for a gift?"

"Do you have this apron in yellow? I see it can't be transfigured." Molly asked the sales witch.

"Let me check," she responded.

"Have a great Christmas love!" Molly said as she hugged Hermione and got distracted by her list of items to still get. "I hope your friend likes the gift, it's beautiful."

"Thanks," Hermione choked out as she passed a couple of galleons to the sales witch and took her package.

She quickly exited the store and found herself gasping for air as she rounded the side of the building looking for a moment to compose herself. She leaned against the side of the building and felt the dripping of cold water off the roof falling erratically onto her robes.

"Are you alright?" Snape asked concerned as he quickly rounded the corner.

She shook her head and fought the oncoming tears.

"What? What happened? Did you...did you remember?" He asked, obviously upset by her pale appearance.

She shook her head in the negative and burst into tears; her hair providing a screen around her face.

"What is it?" He asked as he rubbed her shoulder and tried to look at her down turned face. He was practically bent in half trying to gauge her expression. "Do you feel unwell?"

She again shook her head in the negative and he noticed she was shaking almost violently.

He pulled her toward him trying to calm her body. She clung to him as if her life depended on it.

"Tell me," he said as he pushed her hair back from her face.

"I just saw Molly Weasley and she...she..."

"She knows you're pregnant?"

"No," she sobbed. "She said any witch who has a baby without being married is a travesty...that we know better than to be like muggles."

"Shite," he said as he rubbed her back. "If she knew it was you she wouldn't have..."

"She still would think it; she may have had nicer words to my face but...but..."

"Hermione, as awful as it is...this is the reality of the wizarding world and..."

He stopped. He didn't know what to say. He refused to lie to her and tell her it would be okay. It wouldn't. He admired her bravery but he also knew the toll it would take on her if this was the start and this was her reaction.

"Maybe I made the wrong choice," she mumbled from somewhere near his chest.

"Do you really think that?" He asked her.

"No, no I don't," she admitted.

He stood with her for a long time while she pulled herself together. He knew a solution that would make everything better but he also knew it was impossible to even suggest it. He couldn't allow himself to be rejected. He wouldn't allow himself to be vulnerable. He had no feelings of love for her, but he genuinely liked her and felt for her situation.

"I'm such a mess," she half snickered to herself. "I bought a baby nightie thinking that it might warm up my parents and...and now it seems like a stupid idea. How can you warm up your parents to the fact that their only daughter is pregnant and unmarried and keeping the baby?"

"You could get married," he said quietly. "I'm sure Weasley or Potter would..."

She laughed at his suggestion. "Harry is in love with Ginny, and Ron...Ron and I didn't work out the first time and it would just be painful for both of us. I couldn't do that to him, or myself."

"I'm sure there are other young men who..."

"Who wants to marry a know-it-all who most likely was sexually assaulted, but can't remember the circumstances...?"

"Don't," he said trying to stop her diatribe.

"Oh, and she'd pregnant with a baby, that will be a burden besides her, and don't forget that baby is the result of said assault and..."

"Some men would not see it as a burden," he interrupted.

"Oh, yeah, who?" She asked, as she pulled back to look at him.

He looked away from her.

She nodded her head. "No one is willing to enter into a loveless marriage under those conditions, no one."

"I would," he choked out as he looked off into the distance.

She stepped back from him and looked at his profile quizzically. She wondered if he was making fun of her. She quickly realized he was serious.

"You don't want this," she said as she looked down at herself. "It's a gentlemanly offer but..."

"It is that," he said, admitting the truth. "You and your child would be safe from the accusations, and all of the ramifications that come with..."

"And you would be bound to me for life, sir. You, my teacher would have to answer to our relationship-real or not."

"There have been worse situations kept out of Hogwarts: A History," he said with a smirk.

"Sir?"

"Cross-dressers, professor-student affairs that did not end in marriage, a kleptomaniac, art forgery..."

Hermione looked at him with round astonished eyes. She couldn't believe her ears.

"They would get over it," he said dismissively. "I am a former Death Eater after all. Seducing a student is probably something they suspected me of all along."

She looked at him confused. He was completely serious. He would marry her, and care for her and her baby despite the fact that they were not in love and had no prior relationship. He would do this to spare her and her child the fate that awaited them. She could not ask this of anyone, even if freely offered.

"I know I am no prize," he said as he cleared his throat. "but I am willing to be a good husband and father and I'm sure we could manage to be friends. You are quite intelligent and I would not inhibit your education, we could figure out childcare. There would be no romantic expectations beyond the initial bond."

Hermione swallowed hard. He was completely serious. "It would solve all my problems and create some for you."

"It would, but now is not the time for your Gryffindor sensibilities. You need to think like a mother."

She looked at him and knew he was right.

"I am no prize either," she started. "I lose track of hours and days when studying, I have no idea what to do with this child, I can be moody and temperamental, and I don't even know how to begin to be a wife to someone, let alone my professor. But I'll support your career, try my best at motherhood, and be your friend."

He looked down at her and smirked. He liked her brutal honesty.

"What do you say?" He asked, realizing that this decision may be just as idiotic as becoming a Death Eater. He hoped this one would work out better.

"Marry me?" She asked with a smirk.

He smiled at her, took her hand and left the alleyway in search of someone to perform the bonding.

**************************************

"They took it better than I thought," Hermione said nervously as she dropped the hotel key onto the bedside table.

"That was good?" He asked as he looked out the window onto the street below.

"I turned up married and pregnant for Christmas," she said as she toed off her shoes. "They didn't kill either of us."

"If they had wands there would have been hexing," he said as he removed his jacket.

"Lucky for you they're muggles," she laughed, feeling inexplicably happy and light.

He snickered too.

"I know we need to..." she paused as she looked at the bed. "I thought I would freshen up."

"Uh...yes," he stammered uncomfortably. "I'm sorry but in wizarding marriage there needs to be a consummation regardless of..."

"I know,si...Severus," she said, still stammering over the name she'd been saying since they were married. She hoped her parents didn't notice her discomfort with the name. They had decided it was better to make it seem as if they had been romantically involved all along. It was better than explaining the truth. It didn't make her parents very happy but it was easier for them.

She walked into the washroom and shut the door.

He paced the room.

'Maybe' he thought. 'This decision was even more idiotic than becoming a Death Eater. At least then it was just Cruciatus curses, the odd raid, boring meetings...dealing with a maniac. But this...he had to bed her. It was all fine and good in theory. They could be friends, they could raise a child together, they could get along...but now he had to bed her. Just this one time, but still, she was his student, she was the victim of an assault, she was pregnant.'

He wished in that moment he had brought some sort of arousal potion because at this rate, they could never complete the bond and he would be completely humiliated in front of his new wife.

It's not like he was inexperienced. He had had his share of women over the years, but all because of a need he had. A need that he and the woman enjoyed fulfilling. Now, he was not feeling at all sexually aroused. He had never thought of her that way. She was pretty, sure, she was intelligent, yes, but never had those observations added up to desire.

'And,' he remembered, 'she is a virgin for all intents and purposes. She had never experienced this in any sort of conscious way. He was, sort of, her first lover.'

Severus began to grind his teeth together. What the hell had he been thinking? He was too noble for his own damn good! He should have been a fucking Gryffindor. A Slytherin would only have thought of himself.

The washroom door opened and Hermione came out wearing only a tank top and panties. He caught the glare off the gold band on her left hand as it hit the light. Looking to his own left hand he spied his own gold band, the ones they had hastily bought while on their way to the bonding ceremony. It reminded him suddenly of the greater reason for all this. He looked at her again. She was nervous but trying to appear confident. She hoped she was appealing to him in her attire. He knew he needed to make her feel special and, hopefully in that process, would find himself in a condition to complete the bond.

He walked toward her and when he got close traced a finger from her right shoulder to her wrist. She relaxed under his touch.

"What do you want?" He asked softly as he held onto her waist and looked at her intently.

"I, uh...I want whatever...whatever is normally..." she said blushing.

"How do you feel about this? With your recent assault..."

"I don't remember it, and I feel sort of like it's not real, does that make sense?" She asked contemplatively. "Don't let that colour what happens here. It's not something that you need to protect me from. You can't hurt me with this."

He said nothing but instead leaned down and kissed her, tempting her mouth to open under his ministrations. She responded to him and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him down toward her. It was their first real kiss. At the bonding ceremony he had merely leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. It had been dry and quick with little pressure. This kiss was completely different. He put everything he had into it and she responded in kind.

He ran his hands around the back of her waist and up under her tank top feeling her soft skin. She moved her hands between them and started to unbutton his shirt. Task done, she pushed it from his shoulders and felt the wiry thick hair on his chest, humming slightly into his mouth as she did. As more clothing was removed and skin was touched he realized there would be no reason for the arousal potion. He was a man in the hands of a very naked woman. His fears about bonding humiliation were unfounded.

He laid her down on their bed and suckled one nipple into his mouth and she bucked beside him yelling out loud. He smiled to himself, noting which activities she liked as he went along. He suckled another nipple and noted that her response was even stronger. He laid his great palm across her flat stomach, one that wouldn't be flat much longer, and saw her hand link with his as she rose up to kiss him firmly on the lips. He smiled down at her and rolled himself on top of her settling between her legs.

He wanted this experience to be wonderful for her, but he also understood that he couldn't go too far with his inexperienced wife. If he had worked her nether regions with his fingers and mouth she would have thought the act over the top. No, they needed to complete the bond and they were both aptly ready to do just that.

He entered her slowly and watched her face as his length invaded her one inch at a time. Her face at first seemed slightly frightened and then softened when she realized there was no pain.

"Are you okay?" He asked, making sure.

"Good," she said softly as he felt her body mold around his, her legs coming up around his waist.

Once completely inside he began to pump. She responded by meeting his thrusts, at first shyly, but then more confidently as time went on. They both became more and more vocal as their arousal peaked and she clenched around him suddenly one moment gasping out his name as her head swam and her body tingled.

"Severus," she whispered softly as her eyes popped open and shivers ran over her.

"Oh gods, Hermione!" He called out to her as he emptied himself into her and fell forward onto the bed his body slightly on top of her side, but mostly on the bed beside her.

"That was...that was amazing," she said sounding dumbfounded.

Severus smiled to himself. To think he was worried not too long ago of a wedding night humiliation.

"Look, look at your arms!" she said drawing attention to both their arms. A slight glow wrapped it's way up from the fingers to the shoulder, as if magical leather bonds were twining around them.

"So that's how it works," he said as he held her arm up and watched the bonds glow around her. "I had read about it years ago but wasn't sure how it was played out on the body."

"Now you know," she said as she wiped a stray hair from his eyes and tucked it behind his ear. "Thank you for that."

He gave her a shy smile. She knew that he had been stressing about it all afternoon. She was worried herself about what acts she may need to perform to get him ready for bonding. As it turned out, things had gone quite smoothly between them due to his efforts.

"You should sleep," he said as he moved off her. "It's been a long day and we're expected back at your parents tomorrow."

"I think we did the right thing," she said as she rolled to face him.

"We needed to or else the bonding wouldn't stick," he said as he adjusted his pillow.

"No, marrying," she explained as she scooted towards him and pressed her bare breasts against his wiry-haired chest.  
"I think we'll work out just fine."

He felt her pressed against him and couldn't help but wrap an arm around her back. She was a post-orgasmic woman.

"You need to sleep or else Kris Kringle won't come," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

She snickered at his joke. She had forgotten that tomorrow was Christmas proper. "When should we tell the Headmistress?"

He groaned for a moment and closed his eyes. "When it's time to go back to Hogwarts. Otherwise we risk Howlers."

She laughed at his joke and sighed contententedly. Within a few minutes she was sleeping soundly. He lay awake for a few more hours wondering what tomorrow would bring. Would she look at him with repulsion? Would she even look at him after what they had done? Would she seek a divorce? Would she be so disgusted with this situation that she would want to throw herself out the window?

************************************************

He woke facing the ceiling, his back flat against the bed, his arms outstretched and his dick twitching under the soft sheet. He pried open one eye and saw a mass of curly hair on his chest. She was lying across him, her legs entwined in his own, his one arm underneath her frame. It was then that he felt his dick twitch again, but there was something else...

"Having fun are you?" He asked in a voice caked with sleep.

Hermione was slowly grazing her fingers along his stomach back and forth, back and forth.

"It twitches," she said without meeting his eyes.

"It happens when a woman does the things you're doing," he said matter-of-factly. He sensed, somehow that it was more scientific interest than sexual.

She said nothing in response, but instead moved her hand lower so it entwined his pubic hair, still not touching the object of interest.

"You mean to make this difficult, don't you?" He asked, a slight twinge in his voice.

"It's painful?" She asked as she lifted her head to look at him, eyes wide.

"Not physically," he corrected when he saw her worry.

"Why would I be making it painful then?" She asked, interested.

"With no immediate plans of...fulfillment...it is psychologically difficult," he said plainly.

"I'm sorry?" She asked, confused as her eyes met his.

"We have fulfilled the bond," he explained.

"Oh," she said pulling her hand back as if it had been scalded." I'm sorry; I didn't realize you didn't want..."

"It's not a matter of my want," he said as he raised himself up on his elbows to look at her, confused. "I thought that...that naturally you'd want to end..."

She sat up in bed, pulling a sheet around her frame and looking at her hands.

"Hermione, do you want to...to continue with a romantic relationship?" He asked, half not believing it could be possible.

"I don't want you to feel obligated to me," she said softly as she studied her fingers intently. "You've done more than enough and I know we are not in love..."

"No, we are not," he said as he sat up as well; again doubting what he should admit to her. "But I find you quite attractive and...and I enjoyed last night. Did you?"

She nodded her head in the affirmative.

"I don't want you to feel you owe me in any way," he said as he swallowed hard. "I agreed to just friendship when I married you and I can keep that agreement, if you'd like."

"But would you be happy with more?" She asked as she looked him in the eyes, raw and vulnerable.

Instead of answering her he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. When he pulled back he trailed the sheet she had pulled around her body away from her and allowed it to drop to the bed. He spilt kisses around her neck over her shoulder and down her back as she softly moaned and shivered. Pulling her back against the mattress he started to worship her again.

***********************************************

"And the school is still keeping you in their employ?" Wendy Granger asked Severus across a dining room table strewn with Christmas dinner.

"I believe so," he said as he met her eyes.

"Even though you took advantage of a vulnerable student?" Wendy asked again.

"Mom, I am not 7 years old," Hermione said as she dropped her fork. "Severus and I began a relationship in a time of war, I wasn't even sure I was going back to Hogwarts at the time and when I decided to, it didn't change our feelings for each other."

Severus put another piece of turkey in his mouth, admiring his wife's ability to lie so easily. She would have made a good spy.

"Honey, I just think that you don't know what your future holds...we had hopes for Oxford and..."

"Wendy, Hermione can continue with whatever education she would like, we will make any necessary childcare arrangements so she can pursue her schooling." Severus said honestly.

"What if they fire you?" Harvey Granger asked. He had been quiet for a long time.

"Then I will get another job," Severus said easily. "There are many opportunities for Potions Masters as we are a rare breed. "

"And if nothing comes of that? How can you support our daughter, her education and a child?" Harvey asked a little more forcefully.

"Dad!" Hermione said as she snapped her head towards him.

"Do you two plan on setting up an apartment in our basement?" Harvey asked, irritated.

"I have a family estate worth millions of your muggle money," Severus said. "My parents weren't nice people while they lived, they didn't always treat me well or provide what I needed, but they left me financially set when they died. You have nothing to be concerned about."

Hermione tried to not look at him with the shocked face she knew was hiding inside. She had no idea when she married him that he was anything other than a school teacher.

"Do you love my daughter?" Wendy asked.

"Very much so," Severus lied as he looked her in the eye. he must have been believable because his mother-in-law started to tear up.

The next week passed in a blur. Severus sent an owl to Minerva stating that he would be back after the New Year; giving them enough time to explain their new situation before the students arrived back at school. Before they knew it New Years had arrived. They had gotten to know each other a lot over the last week and both had warmed to the possibility that life as a married couple could be quite good.

There was a pecking at the hotel window.

"You might as well get that one, I got the last two" Severus said to her as she looked over the top of her book.

They had been reading quietly by the fire for the last hour and no less than 3 owls had now arrived for her over the course of the day. All of them from Harry, Ron and Ginny imploring her to come to the Burrow for New Years.

"I told them 'no' in the last two," she huffed as she rose from her seat. "What makes them think this answer would be different?"

She opened the window and Hecate the brown barn owl Harry had got to replace Hedwig swung into the room.

"Maybe you should go," he said as he put down his book. "They'll just keep sending notes and we won't get any peace all night."

"Oh, shit," she swore as she opened the note.

"What?" He asked alarmed as he reached for the letter. Just then three loud pops could be heard in the corner of the room.

"They put an apparition location spell on it," she told him as she turned to face her three friends now standing in the corner of the room gob smacked at the scene before them.

"Hermione, what the hell...?" Ron asked dumbfounded.

Hermione turned and looked at Severus sitting comfortably next to her with his arm around the back of the couch behind her. He was in a long dark grey cotton robe and nothing else. She was in a similar white robe because one hour ago they had been busy in the crumpled bed that stood beside her friends. Her hair was messy and she could feel her skin getting warm and bright red. His chest hair was peeking out from the V in the robe.

"Leave at once!" Severus snapped as he stood up from his seat.

"What the hell are you doing here and...?and like this?" Harry asked coming to his senses.

Severus picked his wand up off the table next to him.

"I said leave," he warned them menacingly.

"Harry," Ginny said as she grabbed his arm.

"Now," Severus said as he pointed his wand more forcefully.

Ron grabbed Harry's shoulder and his sister's arm and apparated them back to the Burrow.

"I can't believe they just apparated here like that, what if we were..." Severus started angrily as he paced in front of her.

She placed her head in her hands and started to cry.

"Oh, shit," he said defeated as he sat down next to her and placed a hand on her back and began to rub it. "Hermione..."

"This was not how I wanted them to find out, it wasn't..." she began through sobs.

He closed his eyes and cursed silently. "Maybe we should go to the Burrow and explain."

She looked up at him surprised. "We?"

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "You don't think I'd send you to the Gryffindor lion's den alone, do you?"

She smiled meekly at him and wiped her eyes. "The same story as my parents?"

"It's up to you; if you want to tell them the truth...I wouldn't object."

She thought about it for a moment and decided that the least she owed herself and Severus and this child was a proper start. A proper start did not, in this case, include the truth. It was much better as a romantic tale. The Headmistress and Madame Pomfey would be the only ones, besides them, who really knew the start of their story.

"I like the story we told to my parents," she said softly. "I like that it's a story we can one day tell to our son or daughter. Instead of 'I was assaulted and even though your dad didn't love me he was a good man.'"

He put an arm around her and pulled her close to his chest. "No one would ever believe I was a good man."

"I do," she sniffled.

"Then I guess I'm lucky to be married to the only person who does," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

"You are a good man Severus and I'm a very lucky woman," she said softly.

He held her close and thought about her words for a moment; unable to come to a coherent response.

"Then off to the Burrow?" He asked.

"I'll get cleaned up," she said as she extracted herself from him and walked toward the washroom. She pretended to not see him smile as she shut the door.

**************************************  
"You will allow us to talk first and you will not insult Professor Snape, those are the rules if you want your answers," she said sternly to the three teenagers sitting in front of her.

'She'd also be a good interrogator,' Severus thought proudly as he watched her pace in front of them.

All three nodded mutely. He watched the show from a chair behind her.

"We have been seeing each other since he was just out of the hospital," she began and tried to ignore the twisting faces before her. "I wasn't thinking of returning to Hogwarts at the time because I had those offers from the Ministry so it didn't seem as though dating would be a problem."

"But then I decided that skipping my NEWTS might be detrimental if I sought a promotion later on," she explained. "Severus supported my return and we decided to cease our relationship while I finished my studies."

"It doesn't look like that happened," Harry cut in with a disgusted tone.

"Shut it, Potter," Severus warned.

"No, it didn't. It wasn't long before we found ourselves back with each other again. It took a lot to convince him that this could work and he didn't enter into this again lightly." She explained.

"I bet he needed a lot of convincing," Ron muttered.

"Ron, I'm...I'm sick of this attitude." She said as she rubbed her temples and her voice cracked. "Between you and Harry..."

"I love her," Severus said with conviction from behind her. "And you will not make her upset."

All three faces fell in astonishment at his proclamation. It was the last thing they ever expected their Potions Professor to admit.

"She is far too good for me, you are right, but she insists this is what she wants, and I would be a fool to not abide by her wishes."

All three faces fell even further into astonishment. Their Potions Professor was opening up about his feelings for their friend. He was admitting that he would do whatever she wanted. That she was in charge of where this relationship went.

"I love him too," she said as she placed a hand on his arm. "We wanted to keep it quiet until after graduation but a development has sort of prevented that from happening."

"Oh no you're not..." Ginny said as her eyes widened.

"Not, what?" Harry asked her.

"The baby is due at the start of the summer," Hermione said as she touched her flat stomach.

"You're having his...that git's...a baby?" Ron asked as he stood from his chair.

"Ron, don't you call him that!" She snapped at him as Severus shook his head trying to tell her she didn't need to defend him.

"You sleep with a student and you knock her up too?" Ron asked Severus, incensed.

"She wasn't my student at the time," Severus said rising to tower over the young man. "And as far as the baby goes..."

"It's my fault," Hermione said as she got between the two men. "I was so caught up in my Arithmancy Project that I forgot the Contraception potion at the start of the month and there were a few days when..."

"Holy shit!" Harry said from his seat across the room. "You're having Snape's baby and you really do love him...I can see it in your eyes."

Hermione was caught by the trueness of the statement. She had started to love him the moment he offered to help her. "We were married on Christmas Eve."

"You're Hermione Snape?" Ginny asked, astounded.

"I am," Hermione smiled back at her.

"Holy shit," Ron said defeated as he sat in a chair.

"I told you it would go well," Severus said sarcastically from behind her.

************************************************** 

"Of all the idiotic, asinine, foolhardy..." The Headmistress stewed.

"So no wedding present?" Severus asked sarcastically. "Sit down Minerva before you have a stroke."

"So you have completed the bond?" Poppy asked, unsure of the current climate.

Hermione nodded in the affirmative. "We visited my parents at Christmas as well."

"And are they wondering, as I am, why you should be looking for other employment?" Minerva asked, clearly unnerved.

"They did question the relationship but..."

"Is there a relationship?" Minerva asked.

"We are quite fond of each other," Severus answered. "But there was no prior relationship besides a very appropriate one between teacher and student."

"And now it is quite inappropriate," Minerva noted.

"Not really," Severus corrected her. "We are married and therefore now completely allowed to be in a romantic relationship."

"But you are still a teacher in this school and..."

"Matisse Ferguse," Severus said simply.

"That was...it was different," Poppy said to him.

"Who is Matisse Ferguse?" Hermione asked Severus.

"A teacher who married a younger woman, then when she moved here from France she became a student at the school."

"But was not one prior to that," Minerva pointed out.

"But she was still a student while her husband was a teacher. I believe that is the situation we currently have before us. His wife was also enrolled in the class he taught with no issue."

"So you expect to just continue as usual?" Minerva asked.

"Why not?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione is more than capable. She has proven she has excellent skills and there should not be an interruption in her education or my employment for the remaining few months that she will be in school here." Severus added.

"So you told your parents about the circumstances of your pregnancy?" Poppy Pomfey asked.

"Uh, no," Hermione said, suddenly uncomfortable. "I don't want that history for my child."

"Excuse me? What alternate history are you seeking?" Minerva asked as she glared at Severus.

"We were in a relationship after I got out of the hospital. Hermione wasn't sure she was to return to school..."

"Which is true, by the way. The school part, at least," Hermione added.

"And then she decided to come back and get her NEWTs so we decided to put our relationship on hold until she graduated..."

"And how will you explain the baby? Pregnancy doesn't last a year!" Poppy explained.

"But the idea to break up didn't last," Hermione interjected. "I didn't stay away and..."

"The smartest witch in the school didn't use a contraceptive potion?" Poppy Pomfey interrupted again.

"I was so preoccupied with my Arithmancy Project I was a few days late in taking the potion and those few days allowed this baby to be conceived," Hermione explained.

"So, you are in love? Well at least to everyone else?" Minerva asked.

"Yes," Severus said simply. "Her parents, her friends, the rest of the staff...everyone must know and believe this story."

"Why are we not going with honesty?" Minerva asked as she sat heavily and rubbed her forehead.

"Because one day my baby will want to know the story or how his or her parents met and I can't..." Hermione began and then faltered.

"Because we are trying to do what is right for this child," Severus explained.

"And what about what's best for you?" Minerva asked Severus a little sadly.

Severus was thoughtful for a moment. "I never expected to be married or have a child. Ever. But Hermione is intellectually challenging, brave, kind, passionate and beautiful. Who better? I ask. And as for the child...I will do my best to be a good father. It doesn't have to be mine from conception, to be mine, I'm not that infantile. I can promise her friendship, companionship and support. Many good and long marriages are built on far less."

"And is this what you want Hermione?"

"Everything he said was true. I can think of no one more suited to me and with more integrity than Severus. He will be an amazing father and a loyal husband. I will do my best to be the same for him."

"It sounds like you are quite set on this and you have considered the possibilities," Minerva said. "Are you still going to get to the bottom of the conception?"

"Yes," Hermione and Severus answered together.

"Once I can ascertain which potions may enhance the memories but not harm Hermione or the baby," Severus explained.

"And we need you to agree to the story with us," Hermione said calmly. "You can't share the truth with anyone."

Both Poppy and Minerva nodded.

"I will need an oath," Severus said as he stood and held out his arm.

"Severus, really? Must you be so formal?" Minerva asked.

"This is for my child," he said without blinking.

It was the first time Hermione had heard him refer to the child as his truthfully; not as a show for her parents or friends but simply affirming his place as the child's father to those who knew the truth.

Minerva nodded and joined her arm to his. Poppy sealed the oath then she joined her arm with Severus' and Minerva sealed the oath.

"Heaven save us when your child comes to Hogwarts, Severus. You'll be breathing down our necks about curriculum discrepancies." Minerva mumbled under her breath.

"I would hope the standards hadn't slipped by then," he said with a slight smile. "So, is there anything else Headmistress because my wife has had a long day and needs her rest."

"No, I think we'll just have to deal with the shock and awe when the students come back," Minerva said as she lifted her quill. "I take it, Hermione, you'll be moving into Severus' quarters?"

"The elves should have moved her things while we were here," Severus explained as he gently guided Hermione from the office. "Good night ladies."

"Good night Professor and Madame Snape," Poppy Pomfey almost giggled as the door shut behind them.

"Oh Poppy, that poor child," Minerva said as she looked after them.

"Hermione?" Poppy asked confused.

"No, their baby. Severus will hex anyone who dares not share a football."

The two witches smirked for a very long time that night.

**************************************

He woke in the middle of the night to find someone kissing his neck. It was a good thing his spy days were over and his instincts had numbed or else he would have been very dangerous in moments like this one. And there had been quite a few of these moments since they married. It was almost, he mused, as if she used sex to quiet her mind so she could rest. If she woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep, she usually woke him as well.

"Do you want to?" She asked in between kisses. "If you need to sleep I under..."

"For a woman who had not been introduced to sexual activity until two weeks ago you seem to have quite the appetite," he smirked at her.

"Are you complaining?" She asked as she continued to kiss. Then she stopped. "Uh, are you?"

"Gods Hermione," he groaned as he kissed her squarely on the mouth and then rolled her onto her back as he lay between her thighs

She moaned softly against his skin.

"Anyplace," he kissed her neck. "Anytime."

She felt him pressing against her thigh. "Were you always this turned on by me?"

"No," he said honestly as he pushed down her nightgown strap. "I wasn't sure how we were going to do this the first time. I still saw you as a student."

"And now?"

"Now, I see you as my very sexy wife," he said against her collarbone.

"So, anyplace...anytime?" She asked as he cupped her muff.

"I said it, didn't I?" He said as he placed a finger inside of her.

"Ohhhh," she huffed as he moved it inside of her.

He pushed up her nightie and she shoved down his boxers and tentatively reached for his cock. She still wasn't sure what to do with it beyond put it inside her. She squeezed it slightly and then pulled back. He took her hand in his and put it back on his cock rubbing it up and down the length. She watched his face relax as she continued to massage him after he'd released her. She felt him harden and some liquid escaped the head.

He put a hand over hers and stopped her motion. "Unless that's all you want..."

She shook her head in the negative and pulled her hand away. "Tomorrow is the first day back."

"It's technically today," he said as he entered her. "Are you nervous?"

"Ahhhhh" She groaned.

"So, are you?" He asked as he thrust slowly.

"Yeah," she panted. "I'm married to a teacher and pregnant. There's no way this is going to..."

"I think it'll blow over," he said as he continued to roll his hips toward her.

"When?" She asked out of breath.

"By graduation," he panted as he started to peak.

"Severus we'll be lucky if it blows over by graduation a decade from now." she huffed as waves of pleasure passed over her body. "Oh god!"

"This is a much...better way to start...to start the new term than I usually do," he said as he ran out of breath as he came inside of her.

He panted and she wiped his sweat-slicked brow.

"How do you usually start it?" She asked as she tucked a stray hair behind his ear.

"It usually involves Ogden's and some bad poetry about an unfulfilled life," he answered honestly.

She laughed heartily at his admission. Rolling slightly onto her side and holding her stomach. "Oh gods Severus!"

"If I had known my pitiful ritual would have brought your so much joy..." He said with a smirk.

"Oh gods" she said as she looked into his eyes and patted his cheek. "I can't wait to find out more."

He shifted off her and pulled her against him, spooning her from behind. "Now you can sleep."

She yawned and snuggled up against him a little more.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You can recite some poetry if it makes you feel better."

He chuckled behind her.

"Oh, what can ail they, knight-at-arms, alone and palely loitering?, The sedge has wither'd from the lake, and no birds sing."

She giggled in his arms. "Keats...how fitting."

"I thought so," he murmured in her ear.

*****************************************

"There's just one final announcement before the students arrive" Minerva said as she looked over at Severus Snape. "Severus."

Severus, who had been pretending to do a wizard's crossword in the corner, put down his paper and looked up at his fellow teachers. As much as he appeared to be calm, his heart was hammering in his chest. It was one thing to be thought of as a reformed Death Eater, if was another to be thought of as a pervert. He had told Hermione that it didn't matter before they were married but now, it felt as though it very much did matter. He wasn't sure how to change that.

"I was married over the holiday," he said in his usual under-whelmed manner. "Her name is Hermione, you all know her from... your classes."

Fifteen faces looked at him as silence fell over the room. Some faces looked confused, others disgusted, others horrified.

"I'm sorry?" Professor Flitwick finally spoke up. "Do you mean Hermione Granger?"

"Snape now, but yes," Severus said as he nodded in the affirmative.

"You...you married a student?" Madame Hooch stammered.

Suddenly the room broke out in protests and questions. 'How did this happen?' 'Is this allowed?' 'Hermione Granger, really?' and 'How could he?' were heard among the mix. Severus stood from his chair and looked at the crowd bantering before him.

"Silence!" He called loudly.

The room fell silent again.

"I should not have to explain myself to you, nor should my wife," he said, as he tried madly to think of a better way to deal with this, but coming up empty. "She is not to be treated any differently than other student. She is currently 19 years old, and was 18 and not a student, when we began our relationship. I am not a man who plucks students from my classroom for my personal enjoyment. Nor, is she a woman who seeks out professors for grade enhancement. There will be enough issue with the student body and I would hope, that as my fellow teachers, we could get a modicum of support. Good day."

With that he began his march out of the room and was only halted by a question from Professor Vector.

"Why now? She'd only a few months from graduation, Severus."

Snape turned and looked at the same fifteen faces again.

"We're expecting." He said simply before he briskly walked out of the room.

He heard a cacophony of sound take over the room behind him as he walked down the hall and away from the voices.

***************************************

He sat at the Head Table waiting for his fellow teachers to join him for the first meal back. The students had arrived on the train over an hour ago and he had not seen his wife since. She had gone with Hagrid to greet her friends and, he supposed, gone back to the Gryffindor common room to spend some time with them. He hoped this was a sign that it was going well.

The last time he had spoken with her friends was two days ago. He had made a trip to the Burrow without her knowledge, in hopes of smoothing things over before their return. It had gone horribly badly. He had been cornered by Molly Weasley for upwards of a half hour, being grilled about their relationship and asked repeatedly if he was 'nice' to her. Then, there was Potter and the Weasley brother and sister team. They couldn't seem to wrap their heads around Hermione being in love with him. And while, he himself could see their point, he tried to be diplomatic. He wanted to appeal to their friendship and he hoped that, despite their hate for him, they would continue to be her friend. She needed them now more than ever. It wasn't until Potter proposed the idea that Severus had somehow drugged Hermione that he lost his temper and left. He realized, as he sat there watching Madam Pomfey and Madame Hooch take seats next to him, he may have made things worse rather than better.

"I would like to knit Hermione something for the baby if you are agreeable to that," Madame Hooch said as she placed her napkin over her lap.

"Pardon me?" Severus asked as he snapped out of his reverie.

She leaned in conspiratority "Poppy and Minerva told us how you met and your plans to stay apart when she decided to return as a student. Honestly Severus it's dead romantic."

He cleared his throat, unsure of how to respond to her saying that and touching his hand kindly as she did.

"Oh, they did...did they?" Severus leaned forward and caught Poppy's eye on the other side of Madame Hooch.

"Would you rather everyone thought you a pervert Severus? Minerva and I couldn't leave it the way you did, honestly. The staff had the right to know more than you divulged. Unless you wanted them to hate you?"

"Professor Binns also explained the precedent of some Matisse fellow," Madame Hooch said as more teachers took seats at the table. "Hermione's also a year past graduation and would have been a working woman out in the world right now if it hadn't been for the blasted war and her taking time off. When you think of it that way...it's not unseemly."

"Thank you for your support," Severus said as he lifted his goblet for a drink.

"Filius seems to be having the hardest time accepting it, but he'll come around," Madame Hooch said as she nodded to the man walking toward the head table and avoiding Severus' gaze.

It was then that he spotted his wife walking into the Great Hall with her two best friends. They seemed to be smiling and relaxed, it made him suddenly feel quite happy and a smile escaped his lips before he could smack it down.

"She makes you quite happy, doesn't she?" Madam Hooch asked as she followed his gaze.

He answered 'yes' before he could stop himself. Realizing his vulnerability he cleared his throat and re-adjusted his napkin. It was in that moment that he noticed almost the entire Gryffindor table looking at him as the teachers had. Some were puzzled, others disgusted and others shocked. It appeared as though his wife had shared the news with her House. Word would spread quickly and he should inform his house at their meeting after the dinner. It was during these thoughts that he failed to notice the approach of his wife.

"You visited them?" She asked with a smile as she looked up at him in his seat.

He leaned forward and noticed that their interaction was being looked upon by many.

"I did." He said simply.

Her smile grew even larger and she said softly. "I'd kiss you if I thought I wouldn't lose house points."

"Then you better take your seat before you do," he smirked back.

She turned and went back to her seat.

"She's good for you Severus," Septima said from beside him.

He merely nodded in agreement and then looked toward Minerva as she opened the dinner with a speech. There was to be no general announcement of his nuptials so he could relax, for now.

******************************************

"...and I will expect that you'll afford the new Head Girl, Veronica Wexler of Ravenclaw, the same respect you afforded former Head Girl Hermione Granger." He said as he approached the question he knew would be inevitable at each House meeting.

"Why isn't Granger Head Girl anymore, professor?" Maxima Goyle asked. "Not that we mind."

"Miss Granger has married over the holidays and the Headmistress felt that this other role took precedence over her Head Girl duties," Severus waded into the waters.

"Someone married that ugly bushy-haired bookworm?" Pius Fenwick spat out with a laugh.

"Do not insult my wife!" Severus snapped.

The entire room grew quiet. All students starred bug eyed at him. If they weren't so scared of him, someone would have asked if he was joking. But Professor Snape didn't joke.

"You...you are married," Prudence Applewood, a first year, noted as she pointed to his wedding ring.

"How very observant of you Miss Applewood," Severus said. "We were married on Christmas Eve. And I demand that you treat the wife of your Head of House with the utmost respect. Anyone caught doing otherwise will have to deal with...me."

Silence greeted him.

"Do you understand?" He asked menacingly.

"Yes, Professor," they answered in unison.

When he left the meeting, the room erupted in chatter and speculation about the strangest union in Slytherin history.

********************************************

"I thought I might have made it worse, which was not my intent," he said as they prepared for bed that night.

"I think you did, at first," she said as she brushed her hair.

"And what turned it in my favour?" He asked as he undid the buttons on his shirt.

"Ginny," Hermione smiled. "She pointed out to them that you would have never normally come to them asking for their help. She said that you must...love me."

She swallowed hard and then continued when there was no response.

"Which we know isn't true," she babbled quickly. "but it had the same effect and..."

She paused when she saw him come up behind her in the mirror. His shirt was undone and his face was unreadable. He stood behind her, not touching her, but merely watching her as she brushed. Then, she stopped and looked back at him.

"I care for you," he said softly. "I don't want you to get hurt. Especially by the friends you value so much."

She lowered her eyes from his gaze. He had said something nice, but she secretly hoped for more.

"Love doesn't come easily for me, Hermione," he continued, as if knowing her thoughts. "I hope, one day for Ginny to be right, but..."

"It's...it's okay Severus, we didn't enter into this as a..."

"You should understand that...that the one time I felt love for someone in my life," he paused to swallow hard. "It was not returned. And I spent the rest of my life living in a vacuum that was caused by that...made decisions based on that lack of love, and suffered because of it."

"Lily," she said simply.

"Lily," he agreed.

"Do you...do you still love her?" She asked, unsure she really wanted to know.

"Part of me loves the concept of her, but truthfully the adult in me knows that she was never really mine to love," he answered honestly. "But thinking I loved her, and feeling that for her when I was a Death Eater and spy somehow helped me. It made me separate from the others. It gave me a capacity that they had no knowledge of. Does that make sense?"

She turned to face him and placed her hands on his bare chest. "Severus...I hope..."

He held her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. "I do too."

"I love you," she said in a whisper. "I know it's not a deep all-encompassing love, yet. But I love you for being a good man. For taking care of me and ensuring that my baby, our child, is protected. I love you for enduring that crappy staff meeting and for dealing with the catty comments and the sneers from your students. I love you for making me feel special and for your faith in my abilities. I love you for being more than anything I could have ever imagined."

She kissed him softly on the lips. She stripped him of his pants and pulled him to bed with her. They slipped under the covers, she snuggled up to his frame, and they fell asleep quickly.

**********************************************

"Now that you understand the concept behind the charm," Professor Flitwick went on to explain. "I would like to see you try and cast. Do I have a volunteer to try first?"

Hermione put up her hand.

"Ah, Miss Gran...I mean Mrs. Snape," Filius faltered. "Please come to the front of the room."

Hermione came to the front of the room amidst whispers.

"Please cast," Professor Flitwick instructed as he pointed towards the mouse.

"Vox Parrotus!" She called as he pointed her wand at the mouse.

The class watched as the mouse looked around the room and started to speak in Hermione's voice.

"It worked," the mouse squeaked. "The mouse has my voice."

The whole class laughed as Hermione smiled. No voice came from her as her thoughts went ahead.

"The spell," the mouse continued to squeak her voice as it parroted her thoughts. "could be used to project the witch or wizard's thoughts through to animate an object or animal. It could be used to create noises in other locations to throw off any unwanted visitors."

"Very good Miss Gra...Mrs Snape," Professor Flitwick faltered again in his enthusiasm. "Now cast the reverse."

"Extractus Vox Parrotus," the mouse Squeaked.

"Is it back?" Hermione asked as her own voice came from her mouth.

"Okay everyone; let's get in three lines in front of the animals and..." Professor Flitwick called as the class all rose from their seats and scuttled around the room.

"Great charm Hermione," Patrick Martin, a Ravenclaw Prefect noted.

"Thanks," she smiled back at him.

"I wonder what other charms your mouth can perform for good grades. Maybe we should ask your husband?" He continued.

A look of horror crossed her face and she paled. She expected this sort of behaviour from Slytherins but from Ravenclaws! Before she could react he had moved on.

"Professor may I be excused for a moment?" Hermione asked as she passed her professor.

"Of course my dear," he said distractedly as he started the first set of students on their charm.

Hermione walked calmly from the classroom. And it wasn't until she got to the Ladies that she burst into tears.

***************************************

"Turn to page 431 and take a look at the potion before you," Severus instructed the class. "We will be brewing an anti-fungal potion today for Madame Pomfey. It appears as though there is a bit of an epidemic of athlete's foot going around, her stores have run low. Please note that, although your book says to mash the lemon balm, I want you to chop it instead. Can anyone tell me why I have changed the preparation?"

He looked around the room and expected to see Hermione's hand high in the air. It wasn't, and this concerned him. It also bothered him that she wasn't even looking at him or the book before her. She was merely looking at her lap. His brow furrowed.

"Mashing the lemon balm," he continued, "could make the paste too runny due to the excess liquid. By chopping it instead we ensure a better spreading consistency."

He looked at his wife again and noted that Potter also had a look of concern on his face.

"You may begin," he said distractedly.

He watched as the students made their way to the stores of ingredients. She hadn't moved.

"Hermione?" Harry called to her as he pulled at the sleeve of her robe.

"Uh, yeah?" She asked, being pulled out of her daze.

"Mrs. Snape, are you feeling okay?" Severus asked as he approached her.

"I'm fine Sev...sir," she said as she mechanically rose from her seat.

"I beg to differ," he said quietly. Severus noted that Harry had nodded his head in agreement.

"I'm fine,' she said dismissively as she walked away.

Harry watched the look of concern on his professor's face.

"I'll find out," he muttered as he passed Snape.

************************************************** *

"Tell me who the hell said it so I can clean their clock," Ron said as they walked through the hall toward Divination.

"She wouldn't say, but it was a Ravenclaw, they share Charms with Gryffindor," Harry said as he walked with Ron. "Weren't you there?"

"I skipped it this morning," Ron said to him. "I was just so tired I went back to bed after breakfast."

"Ron!" Harry chastised.

"I'm sorry mate. I'll be there from now on. You have Potions with her, I have Charms, we both have Transfiguration with her, she dropped Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, no one has Arithmancy or Flying with her, but we're both in DA with her. She's pretty covered." Ron calculated.

"If this crap is coming from everyone, not just Slytherins, she's probably hearing things like this all day," Harry noted.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, a moment please?" Severus called from behind them.

They stopped in their tracks and turned toward their Potions professor who guided them down a side hallway.

"Have you discovered anything?" He asked as he looked over their shoulders at the passing crowd.

"Sir, she's getting some lip from students about her relationship with you," Harry explained.

"We expected that," he said dismissively, "Is that all?" Severus asked.

"You...you expected her to be goaded about blow jobs?" Ron asked a little too loudly.

"What?!" Snape snapped.

"That's what has her so upset," Ron continued in slightly hushed tones as he leaned into speak with Snape. "They are implying she's been giving you...that she's...she's getting her good grades because she's gifted in a different way."

Severus smacked his hand harshly against a nearby wall. Both boys jumped back.

"Who?!" He asked menacingly.

"She...she won't say," Harry stammered.

Severus looked quickly at his watch. "She's in Flying class right now, correct?"

"Yes, but she won't like it if..." Harry called after him as Severus marched down the hallway and out of sight.

"He's a dead man," Ron said as he looked after him.

"Yep," Harry nodded.

*************************************************

Hermione flew through a set of trees and looked down at the black billowing figure that stood behind Madam Hooch. Her husband had inexplicably come to her class and she suspected she knew the reason. She didn't want to deal with his wrath, so she kept flying through the course. She knew he expected her to join him and was half surprised he didn't summon her off the course. She had avoided Flying since year one, but needed the credit to graduate. So now, she found herself in a class with a bunch of 11 and 12 year olds. On her next circuit she noticed that he had left. Madam Hooch blew the whistle and everyone came down and dismounted.

"Hermione can you collect the brooms and return them to the cabinet? The rest of you are dismissed to change." Madam Hooch instructed the class.

She walked over to Hermione as she charmed the brooms to rise before her.

"Your husband was looking for you, I'm sure you noticed," Madam Hooch said to her when they were alone.

"I noticed," Hermione said.

"He was not pleased you didn't come down," Madam Hooch continued.

"I'm sure he wasn't," Hermione agreed.

They stood just looking at each other for a moment.

"He's a tough nut to crack Hermione, but well worth the trouble, as I'm sure you know," she smiled at her student.

"Thank you for the advice," Hermione returned her smile and walked the brooms to the cabinet.

He was waiting inside for her.

"Did you not see me?" He asked, coolly.

"I did," she said as she opened the door to one cabinet and five brooms flew inside it.

"And flying was so much more important than a discussion with me about the imbeciles in your classes?" He asked as he walked up to her.

"It will stop," she said as she opened another cabinet and five more brooms flew inside.

"But it shouldn't be happening in the first place," he said as he opened the next cabinet for her and she flew the last of the brooms inside.

"Thank you," she said as the cabinet closed. "But once it's out of their systems and they see I give no reaction..."

"Who said it?" He asked. "Was it a Slytherin?"

"Surprisingly no," she smiled. "They haven't said a word."

"That's one consolation," he said.

"I assume you threatened them within an inch of their life?" She asked.

"Something like that," he said under his breath. "Please tell me that names of those..."

"No, Severus," she said as she walked toward him and placed a hand on his chest. "I can handle it."

"But they are being incredibly disrespectful; insinuating that you have been trading sexual favours for..."

"But it's not true, you know that, and so do I and..."

"And anyone else with a half a brain should know it's not true as well," he said as he sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry this doesn't do much for your reputation," she said as she placed a hand on his cheek.

"I don't give a damn about..."

"But I do,' she said as she kissed his cheek. "Hopefully it'll stop soon."

"Once they know about the baby, it'll all start up again," Severus said defeated. "If I hear one thing though, I won't leave it for you to deal with."

"Fine,' she agreed. "But don't try and fight my battles for me."

"Agreed," he said softly as he tucked some hair behind her ear. "But don't keep me in the dark anymore."

She smiled. "Agreed."

"I have to get to my first year potions class," he said as he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. "You're okay?"

"Fine," she smiled back at him.

He walked her back to the castle and they parted ways for their two classes. Little did they know that Prudence Applewood, a first year Slytherin, had heard and watched the whole conversation from the shadow of the change room doorway and she was intent on doing something with her new knowledge.

************************************************** **

"And they actually said there was a baby?" Maxima asked Prudence for clarification.

"Yes, but the important part is..."

"Do you think she did this on purpose?" Maxima asked her friend Celeste.

"She's a pretty smart witch, how could she have forgotten the potion? It's pretty Slytherin actually." Celeste confirmed.

"You're not listening to me!" Prudence said loudly. "People from the different houses are being mean to her and..."

"How truly Hufflepuff of you Prudence!" Maxima laughed.

"Of course, we'd be the first people they'd suspect of spreading rumours," Celeste said.

"But we didn't, not after he threatened us," Maxima said. "But no one would ever believe we are the innocents in all of this."

"I think they are the innocent people in all of this!" Prudence said as she stood up and stomped her foot. "It's obvious they love each other and he's our Head of House, don't you think we should do something about these rumours?"

"Slytherins protect themselves," Maxima told her.

"But him being out Head of House," Celeste said thoughtfully. "Stopping these rumours does protect the reputation of Slytherin, which works to all of our benefit."

"But then we'd have to help a Gryffindor," Maxima pointed out.

"She's sort of an honorary Slytherin being married to Professor Snape," Sylvia, Prudence's best friend pointed out.

Maxima looked thoughtful for a moment. "You think he really cares for her?"

"You should have seen them together; it was...he looked really happy, even for him."

"My mother did say he gave up a lot to work as a spy in the war...he probably deserves some happiness," Celeste pointed out.

"What should we do?" Sylvia asked.

"Keep your eyes and ears open," Maxima said as she hatched a plan. "If you see any signs of disrespect of mean behaviour directed toward her because she's married to our Head of House report it to either me or Celeste and..."

"And what?" Celeste asked.

"We still have to figure out that part," Maxima noted. "Good work Prudence."

"Thanks," the young woman said back, happy for the support of a Prefect.

********************************************

"Oh Shite, I forgot my book in Transfigurations, I'll meet you at lunch," Hermione said to her friends as she turned back toward the empty classroom.

"Okay Mione but don't expect there to be any potatoes left!" Ron called after her as they went toward the Great Hall.

She rounded the corner into the classroom and saw two Hufflepuff girls giggling over a book. They had obviously arrived for extra study as her class had left.

"Do you think she gets him to transfigure before he takes off his clothes?" The one girl asked the other.

"Oh gods, with that huge beak nose I'd want him transfigured all of the time!" The other laughed as she pointed toward a picture in the book. "Maybe like him."

Hermione froze in her spot. They were talking about her and Severus.

"Gods, he's old enough to be her father, maybe there's an unresolved Electra complex?"

"Could be, but with him anything is possible. You don't think he's some sort of dominator or something, do you?"

"I wouldn't put it past him,. I bet he's into some kinky stuff with all his Potions knowledge, who knows..."

"Okay ladies, I'm sorry I kept you waiting," Professor McGonagall said as she breezed into the room unaware of the conversation that had just taken place. Her eyes caught Hermione's at the back of the room.

"Mrs. Snape, are you here for some extra help too?" She asked across the room.

The two Hufflepuff girls heads snapped around and they couldn't believe their eyes when they saw her.

"No, I...uh..." Hermione stammered. Her face reddened and so did the girls. Her eyes filled with tears and she turned to walk from the room.

"Hermione!" One of the girls called after her.

She didn't turn around and when she got to the hall, she forgot her bag at the door and just ran. She ran all the way back to her quarters and, slamming the door behind her, wanted to never leave again.

*******************************************

"Severus, I called you here because I want to explain a situation to you before you see Hermione," The Headmistress started to explain as he sat in a chair.

"What situation is that?" He asked as he knitted his eyebrows together. A rather red-eyed Hufflepuff had come to the Great Hall during his lunch and told him he was needed in the Headmistress' office at once.

"There was an incident involving your wife at the start of lunch," the Headmistress started. "She walked in on a private conversation between two 5th year Hufflepuffs while they waited for me in my classroom. Their conversation was not very flattering and it revolved around you and Hermione."

"What did they say?" he asked as he leaned forward in his chair.

"It's...it's not important what the specifics..." the Headmistress began.

"Do I need to interview them myself Minerva?" he asked.

"Oh no Severus, they were beside themselves when they knew she had heard, and..."

"Well I'm glad you have taken care of their feelings Minerva. Heaven forbid a Hufflepuff feel badly!" He snapped. "What did they say?"

"Severus, they are two young girls that had no idea the ramifications of what..."

"What did they say?" he demanded.

"There was talk of transfiguring less attractive features, and a possible Electra complex, and some interesting conjecture into sexual practices," Minerva said uncomfortably.

"They have been given detentions for the month and they are devastated that you and Hermione are aware of what they discussed," Minerva said to appease him.

"I'm glad they are devastated but I am more interested in what happened to my wife," Severus said as he stood up.

"She ran from the room," The Headmistress said. "She refused to accept my floo in your chambers. And, here's her book bag, she abandoned it while fleeing."

Severus snatched up her bag and marched from the room.

******************************************

He found her asleep on the couch, her face marked by tears that had dried. He didn't have the heart to wake her. He was free for the first half of the afternoon and sat looking at her for a while, wondering how to help her, when he noticed a book had fallen from her satchel. Upon picking it up he noted scratches on the inside cover of her Potions text. He didn't think Hermione was a student who would deface one of her school books so he looked closer.

Someone had scratched out a large portion of the inside cover with a marker. Interested in what it covered he cast a revealing spell and saw the marker disappear. He closed his eyes and groaned. There was a rather realistic rendering of Hermione on her knees giving him a blow job while he grunted above her in his billowing black robes. Written in large block letters next to the sketch were the words "Head Girl".

"I scratched it out," she said from her place on the couch.

"When did you wake?" He asked, surprised to see her looking at him.

"When you groaned," she said as she sat up and wiped her eyes.

"When did this happen?" He asked as he held out the book.

"Sometime last week," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. "It's been a crappy 2 weeks."

"Have there been any other...?"

"I don't think you really want to know," she said as she turned to look at the clock. "Don't you have class?"

"Damn it, woman, why haven't you said more?" He asked, incensed.

"And have what happen? Have you turn the screws on every student until someone finally admits they are pornographic artist?" She snapped.

"Someone in my class did this; it is my responsibility to..."

"Don't give me that! You are not doing your duty as a teacher if you are tracking down the arsehole who drew this. You are doing it because you are humiliated by..."

"We need to stop these attacks on you. They are meant to..."

"Put me in my place from the looks of that picture." She interrupted coldly.

He closed his eyes and dropped his head to his chest.

"I am no better than the woman they think I am! I married you to save my own skin and now I'm dragging you through the mud with me!"

"You did no such thing! You are not a woman that deserves this!"

"I deserve every bit of it but you don't. I think we should just tell everyone the truth and..."

"No!" He snapped. "You. Don't. Deserve. This."

"Even the damn Hufflepuffs think I'm a..."

"You are my wife, Mrs. Snape, and I wouldn't marry anyone who could not live up to that title," he said assuredly. "I would not marry a woman that was not of the highest standard. You are far too good for me, and I don't understand why you don't think the same way about yourself."

She started to cry softly and covered her face with her hands.

"Hermione," he said softly as he moved over to sit next to her. He reached for a box of tissues and offered it to her. "You are usually much stronger than this. What has...?"

"It's the damn hormones," she said as she blew her nose. "Whenever anyone says a thing I curse myself. I should be cutting them off, snapping back, telling them to go to hell and instead my eyes well up and I run away before they see me cry. I can't stop it. I can't..."

"I forgot about the hormones." He sighed. "You weren't ill at all your first trimester, and I guess I thought..."

"I've turned into a ball of mush and part of me wishes I had been throwing up for three months instead," she said as she wiped her nose.

"Minerva told me about the Hufflepuff girls," Severus offered. "And now a Slytherin has drawn this in your book, the Ravenclaw from charms...anyone else?"

She wiped her eyes.

"There are comments when I walk in the halls and sometimes in the stairwells, only a few people have had enough courage to face me with an accusation or taunt."

"And you must leave because of the crying?" He asked.

She nodded in agreement. "I feel like such a..."

"Pregnant woman?" He supplied.

"You've noticed the bump?" She asked looking up at him.

"You do have a slight one which has popped out in the last week," he noted as he placed his hand on the spot they were discussing.

"I'm going to need some new clothes," she said as she looked at his hand on her belly. "I know it's not a Hogsmeade weekend but maybe I could go into town?"

"We'll go and get you some new clothes tonight if they're needed," he said.

"No, this weekend will be fine. I've got a couple of elastic waist skirts that'll do me until then," she said as she shifted in her spot.

He kept his hand firmly on her belly. She looked at him, amused. "You quite like this, don't you?"

"It's quite interesting," he said bemused.

She placed her hand over his and they sat for a while not speaking.

"Don't you have a class?" She asked.

"Huh?" he asked distracted.

"A class Severus?" She smiled at him.

"Oh, yeah," he said as he glanced at the clock. "I better go. But I want you to stay here. You need your rest and the day has already been...a bit much."

"I still have Flying Class today," she said as she stood up. "I think I can handle the 11 and 12 year olds."

"If they've been giving you any trouble..." he joked with her.

"You are something," she said as she rose up on her toes and kissed his lips.

"We'll talk tonight about these comments and try and figure something out. I know they'll die down but they need to stop, now."

"Okay, we'll talk," she agreed.

**************************************

"Anything?" She asked as she felt him release her mind.

"There was a shadow over you after you fell asleep at the desk," Severus said as he furrowed his brow. "It was a woman and she patted your head."

"A woman?" Hermione asked surprised.

"She was waiting for someone to arrive, almost keeping watch over you," he said, bothered by what he saw.

"Anything else?" Hermione asked.

"You had to have been somewhat aware, not quite asleep for me to see that," he continued. "but you made no attempt to escape from her, or yell. It's as if you were given a potion that numbed you into a dream-like state while keeping you present still. I...I don't know how else to..."

"No, no, that's fine Severus. It's creepy, but fine." She said as she quelled a shiver.

"The staff meeting is in an hour," he said as he rose from his seat and put out a hand to help her rise. "I think you should try and take a nap until then."

"I have some Arithmancy to do, I'll just..."

"Hermione, you need..." he started more forcefully.

"I know what I need, and I'm still not sure about your course of action with the staff. I was handling the situation quite..."

"Poorly," he interrupted. "You've lost some weight, you are a nervous wreck outside of our rooms, and you're not sleeping well..."

"You don't seem to complain when I wake you up in the wee hours," she said with a raised eyebrow.

He blushed slightly but recovered quickly. "I thought it was helping you."

"It is," she chuckled as she moved toward him and wrapped her arms around him. "It calms me down and quiets my mind so I can rest. I don't mean for it to sound like you're some sex-crazed lunatic. I'm the one waking you."

"So, you're the sex-crazed lunatic?" He asked with a snicker.

"I am feeling that way a bit," she said shyly. "If you think it's too much..."

"It's your hormones," he explained. "It's the second trimester and you have more...urges. And like I have already told you...anyplace, anytime. I don't think I've had as much sexual activity in the last 4 years as I've had in the last 4 weeks."

"Glad to oblige," she said as she kissed him. "I know I have nothing to compare to..."

"Thank gods," he chuckled. "I'm sure I would not be..."

"But," she continued. "You are amazing. The things you make me feel and the sensations..."

He smiled down at her, happy.

"You are very humble Severus, but I think this is another area you excel in. And you need to know, it's not just the act I desire, but you specifically."

He leaned down and kissed her soundly pouring unspoken emotion into the kiss.

"And I you," he said as they broke apart.

She smiled up at him, happy.

"I would like to see that smile more often, outside of these rooms," he said honestly. "That's why I have called this staff meeting."

She nodded and dropped her forehead against his chest.

************************************************** ***

The staff of Hogwarts were surprised by the unscheduled meeting and even more surprised by the presence of Hermione Snape. Minerva called it to order and then handed it over to Severus.

"Thank you all for coming and changing your schedules on such short notice," Severus said, surprising them with his soft words. "The first two weeks of the school year have not gone well for one of our students; my wife. She has been subjected to taunts, outright insults, rumours, innuendoes and sometimes brutish behaviour. Hermione wanted to deal with this on her own. She didn't retaliate and was not showing a reaction, hoping the behaviour would quickly stop. It has not."

"In her delicate condition, I feel as though I must now step in and ask for your assistance. She refuses," he said as he looked at her. "to tell us the names of the students who have done these things. But, she has agreed to give a full accounting of what has happened to her so we have some perspective. I hope that you will hear what she has endured and help me put a stop to it. Hermione?"

She stood and walked over to stand next to Severus.

"I, uh, I didn't really want to do this but," she looked at her husband. "I am a bit of a basket case lately, crying all the time and Severus said that its my hormones...and in my head I want to reasonably deal with each of these situations as they occur, but then my body takes over and I find myself bursting into tears and fleeing. I feel like I have no control over my emotions and..."

She choked back tears and reached over to grab Severus' hand. She put her chin up and continued.

"So, I've um had several students tell me that they think I was performing sexual favours for good grades, I uh, had one student draw a vile picture in my potions text book referring to my former role as Head Girl, several student have asked me about our sexual practices, my psychological health has been called into question, some people have insinuated that Severus gave me a potion to marry him, one boy in particular has groped me when in crowded halls, there have been whispers as I pass people about my husband's anatomy, and one young man pulled me into a side corridor and held me up against a wall asking me if 'I liked it rough'".

Throughout the speech most teachers gasped and looked horrified, but the final act seemed to draw the most upset, particularly from her husband, who didn't know about it or several other infractions.

"Hermione," he said as he moved toward her.

"I'm fine, there was a loud bang at the end of the hallway and I got away before he did anything but threaten. Later that day, I got even."

"I want to know his name," Severus demanded. "of all the acts that one is the most menacing and..."

"It was Frank Griffins, wasn't it?" Madam Pomfey asked from the back of the room. "He showed up to the infirmary with rather uncomfortable genitals."

Hermione nodded as he husband looked at her for confirmation.

"I will inform his parents of his expulsion," Minerva said.

"Thank you Minerva," Severus said as he briefly closed his eyes.

"Can I ask what house or houses these students are in?" Septima asked.

"All of them, except Slytherin, to my knowledge," Hermione said.

"Your fellow Gryffindor too?" Professor Binns asked.

"Frank Griffins is a Gryffindor," Minerva spoke up.

"No Slytherins?" Severus asked, surprised.

"Possibly the Potions textbook but nothing else," she confirmed with a smirk. "They must be scared of you."

"No, I think it's a sign of respect for their Head of House's wife," Filius explained.

Severus found himself straightening up, filled with pride for the behaviour of his House.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry this has been happening to you," Madam Hooch said as she approached her. "I think we all need to close ranks, keep our eyes and ears open for any infractions and punish harshly. Agreed?"

The rest of the staff nodded in agreement.

"Can we post someone with her so the groping stops and any other passing whispers?" Filius asked.

"I can speak with the Bloody Baron and Peeves," Professor Binns interjected. "I think they would be up to the task."

"I think it's unreasonable to have me guarded," Hermione explained, a little overwhelmed. "That would just send the message..."

"That at Hogwarts we will not permit this behaviour," Minerva interrupted. "It sends a very clear message, indeed."

"But I don't think the students realize that collectively they are..." Hermione tried to explain.

"No, you are right my dear," Minerva explained. "They are acting foolish and have no idea what else is going on, the sheer number of comments made toward you...they don't know how much you are dealing with when these words come from their mouth."

"But it doesn't seem to be letting up, in fact I would argue the bad behaviour is increasing and once they find out about the baby..." Severus said as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb unconsciously.

"Yes, the secret will be out soon, won't it?" Madam Pomfey said as she eyed Hermione's mid-section.

"We're going to buy new clothes this weekend," Severus said. "The way her stomach is expanding it's a matter of a week or so."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Hermione said.

He smirked at her.

"I just want my wife to be able to continue with her studies free of torment, accusations and physical assaults." Severus explained as he pulled Hermione slightly closer to him. "We expected there would be comments, but the scale and veracity is not what we predicted. She's a very bright witch who should not have her intelligence, her relationship, or her character brought into question. And, especially considering the health of our child, .we would like this behaviour to stop."

Minerva stepped forward. "I think I speak for everyone here, Hermione and Severus, when I say I am so sorry that this has happened to you and we will do our utmost to cease this deplorable behaviour immediately."

"Thank you," Severus said as he put his arm around Hermione's waist.

"Thank you Headmistress," Hermione said as she leaned into him slightly.

The staff slowly filed out of the room, Heads of Houses intent on coming down most hard on any person within their House who was caught doing this.

"She's softened him," Septima told Filius as they walked away. "he didn't threaten us once, and he actually asked for help, didn't demand it."

"A man in love will do some crazy things," Filius noted with a smile.

They smiled warmly at each other as they continued to walk.

"You have Arithmancy tonight?" Severus said as he walked her back to their rooms.

"Yeah," she said as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the incident in the side hallway. I know I agreed to not keep you in the dark but..."

"You knew I might kill him?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I wasn't thinking death but...I was a little worried about your reaction," She smirked up at him.

"What did you do to him?"

"Blue balls, engorged penis, and a burning hex on his hands if they came in contact with his penis so there was no...relief," she grinned.

"Remind me to never get one your bad side," he grinned as he kissed her temple.

"Impossible," she smiled up at him.

************************************************** *

"I don't think we have to sorry about them killing each other," Poppy said as she took a seat in Minerva's office.

"No, definitely not," Minerva agreed.

"He's falling in love Minerva," Poppy said wistfully. "I remember when he was a gangly boy with skinned knees who thought girls were icky."

"Well, all but one girl," Minerva corrected her.

"Lily," Poppy said sadly. "He was so devoted to her for so long, I bet he's feeling guilty about his feelings for Hermione."

"I bet there's a whole lot at work inside Severus' head; much of which we are not privy to. I can't believe Frank Griffins, especially in light of how she may have conceived."

"He didn't know Minerva, no one except us does, or ever will," Poppy said. "I actually think they made the right choice for not only the baby but themselves. They both seem quite happy with each other. "

"They do," Minerva agreed. "Although don't let Severus hear you say that marriage and family look good on him."

Both women laughed in agreement. Things were changing at Hogwarts.

************************************************** *  
"I'm going to show you a portion of a drawing and I want you to admit if you did it, or tell me if you recognise the artist," Severus said as he pulled out a partially revealed sketch on a textbook.

The 7th year Slytherins who were in his potions class leaned in to look closely at the sketch. He revealed only himself in the drawing, from the waist up. His wife's portion of the drawing was covered as were the words "Head Girl". A couple of the Slytherins gasped when their mind went to what was possibly being covered.

"It looks like Denise Clark's style," Maxima piped up. "She doodles sometimes in the stalls of the ladies."

"Yeah, she did this picture of Professor Trelawney inside her crystal ball that looked similar in shading and the face..." Barry Wentworth explained.

"None of you drew it?" Professor Snape clarified.

They all shook their heads in the negative.

He let out the breath he was holding. His House had not dishonoured his wife.

"Thank you," he said as he rose from his seat. "I'll address this with the Headmistress."

"Professor," Celeste addressed him.

"Yes?" Professor Snape asked.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" She asked tentatively. "We have noticed that Mrs. Snape has been having some trouble with the other students and..."

"And we have a few names to give you," Maxima cut in.

"Names?" Professor Snape asked.

"We've been collecting information for you," Barry explained. "We were going to present our findings after the weekend."

Snape was taken slightly aback. This was very un-Slytherin like behaviour.

"You've been doing this, why?" He asked.

"No one disrespects our Head of House, or his wife," Celeste explained.

He swallowed hard and tried to quell the emotions that were rising up inside him. 'Perhaps' he thought, 'I'm experiencing hormone issues as well?'

"Thank you," he said simply. "I appreciate your respect and I will let Hermione know what you have done as well. I have spoken to the other teachers and hopefully this behaviour will end immediately. But, you can keep compiling names and infractions and if I need them...I know who to speak with."

He smirked at them and everyone grinned back.

"It's been a difficult start to the term for her," Professor Snape went on to explain. "And she can use any and all support from her classmates."

"The stress can't be good for her or the ba..." Maxima started and then stopped.

Professor Snape looked at her, surprised. "Pardon me?"

"Nothing, it was a slip," Maxima back-peddled and grew bright red.

"You know?" He asked, confirming they were right.

"All the Slytherins do," Hugh confirmed. "Which is why what Frank Griffins tried to do to her..."

"How do you know about that?" Professor Snape asked, confused.

"Me and Gary used a Weasley Exploding Cap to distract him so she could get away," Hugh admitted.

Professor Snape turned and walked toward the fireplace, staring into it and saying nothing for over a minute.

"Thank you," he said softly, still not turning to look at them. "You have shared her condition with no one outside of our House?"

"No," they said in unison.

He stood with his back to them for another few minutes, not speaking.

"Sir?" Maxima finally asked.

He turned to face them, his face now composed.

"Slytherin House has made me more proud in these last two weeks than ever in my role as Head of House. Thank you."

The students were shocked and taken aback with his honest praise. They stood silently as he swept past them and out of their common room.

**********************************


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you satisfied with your new wardrobe?" he asked her as she re-joined him in Flourish and Blotts.

He was wistfully handling what appeared to be an expensive tomb. He placed it back on the shelf and turned to face her.

"I picked out some nice dresses that will allow for growth and a few jumpers that will be more comfortable than the ones I own. And look!" She said as she lifted up her sweater slightly to show him the thick elastic adjustable waist on the new skirt she was wearing.

"How lovely," he said as he pulled her sweater back down. "You seem to like this better than the ones you transfigured."

"Without knowing seams and cuts and gathers, transfiguration doesn't really work," She explained.

"I hope you are hungry, I have reservations," he explained as he held out his arm to her.

"We're not just headed back to the castle?" She asked, confused.

"I thought you might like dinner out, on our anniversary," he said as they exited the bookstore.

"You remembered!" She smacked his arm.

"I must confess, Minerva reminded me," he snickered. "But I made the reservations all on my own."

"Thank you Severus," she smiled up at him.

"And did you also deal with the knicker situation?" He asked quietly as they crunched along the lonely street.

"Sort of," she confessed quietly. "I purchased some larger bras but couldn't do the knickers."

"Why in heavens not?" He asked, a little too loudly.

"They are ugly Severus and they look like old granny underwear," she said as they rounded a corner. "They're huge too! I think they'd go up to my neck."

"So, what do you plan on doing?" He asked, confused.

"I think I'll wear mine for now and deal with outgrowing them when the time comes," she said as they approached the restaurant. "Maybe I'll just forgo them completely-go commando."

"Hermione..." he warned.

"Like I am now," she whispered into his ear as he opened the door for her.

"You're..." he whispered back.

She shook her head in the negative and sauntered ahead of him to the maitre'd. "Table for two under the name Snape."

The maitre'd took their winter coats and handed them to his assistant.

"Please follow me Madam," the maitre'd said as he walked ahead.

Severus caught her arm and kept her from following. "You're going to kill me woman. No dessert."

"Anxious to get home, are we?" She said with a smile.

He let go of her arm and watched as he ass swayed all the way to their table.

Several courses later he watched Hermione lick the spoon clean after eating her chocolate mousse. She had been rubbing her foot against his calf off and on throughout the meal and drawing circles on his forearm as they ate.

"Correction, you are definitely going to kill me-a slow painful death," he said as he shifted in his seat.

"And you're going to love every minute of it," she said as she put down her spoon.

"Done?" He asked sarcastically. "You don't want another cup of tea? Or a scone? Maybe a late night snack? A second dessert? Or perhaps we can just stay here and tuck in for breakfast in the morning?"

"My, you are impatient," she chided. "Yes, Severus I am done and we can go."

"Thank gods," he said as he plunked money down on the table and took her hand to escort her from the restaurant.

"Did you enjoy your meal tonight Mr and Mrs Snape?" the maitre'd asked as they approached the door. He quickly grabbed their coats and attempted to help her put hers on.

"Yes, yes, lovely," Severus said as he quickly shuffled her out of the place with her coat half on.

"Thank you!" Hermione called out as they went out the door.

"Severus, really!" She called as he marched her down a street in the opposite direction from Hogwarts. "We're going in the wrong direc..."

"No, we're staying here tonight," he said as he walked them into a small Inn. "We'll need a room, please."

"Uh, yes sir," the desk clerk replied. "Would you like to face the street or the..."

"That's fine," Severus said impatiently.

"Why aren't we going...?" She asked but was greeted by a warning look, so she stopped speaking.

"Please sign the registry," he indicated as Severus tapped it with his wand. "And here's your key."

Severus took it from him and nodded before he led Hermione up a set of stairs.

When he opened the door to their room she walked inside and turned to look at him. "Why aren't we just going back to Hogwarts?"

He walked up to her and started stripping off her robe. "It's a 20 minute walk in the snow across the campus once we apparate there and then another 5 minutes to our rooms and...and I plan to be inside you within that time instead of travelling."

"Oh god you're so sexy," she said as she undid the buttons on his jacket and then started to work on his shirt.

He kissed her neck as he undid her blouse and pulled off her bra. Handling her large breasts he stepped back and looked at them.

"These are getting larger every day," he said as he held their weight.

"Yeah, but I read I don't get to keep them, so don't grow too attached," she smiled up at him.

He took one nipple in his mouth and she arched her back, forgetting the half-undone shirt.

"You have gorgeous skin," he said as he continued to suckle her and pull down her skirt.

She had not lied, she was without panties or stockings of any kind.

"You naughty minx," he said breathless as his fingers found her centre.

"I wanted to see how you'd react," she explained. "I guess I got my response."

He walked her toward the bed and coaxed her back against it and down onto it.

"You are in far too much clothing," she said as she reached to undo his pants. She slipped them and his underwear down his hips and heard them hit the wood floor.

She reached for his cock and decided to do something she hadn't tried before. She licked it. He shuddered in front of her. She licked it again. He gasped. She wrapped her mouth around it and sucked him inside. He yelped. Then he pushed her shoulders away.

"Severus I..."

"Thank you, but I am so close and I don't want this to end so quickly," he explained. "Another time?"

She nodded her head in agreement and he laid her back on the bed and crawled between her legs stopping when his face was at her centre. He licked her. She snapped her head up and looked at him, surprised. He circled her lips with his tongue and she squirmed underneath him. He sucked on her clit and she threw her head back and grasped at the sheets while her legs clamped around his head.

"Herm..." he said muffled.

"Sorry, sorry," she panted as she relaxed her legs open again.

"You like that," he smiled up at her.

She nodded the affirmative.

He went back to work licking and sucking as he massaged her thighs and she panted above him. When she cried out and he felt her walls palpitate around his tongue he waited for her to calm before he crawled up her frame and pushed himself inside of her. She lay beneath him mumbling incoherently and touching his face as he pumped inside of her.

"Gods, you feel so amazing," he said as he moved above her.

"I can't even begin to...to describe how incredible that orgasm was," she said as she smiled sloppily up at him.

"Better than usual?" He asked as he felt her tighten around him.

"Usually they are soft, rolling over my body and tugging me toward a climax," she said as she nibbled on his ear. "But this time, it was...it was like a wave or a storm or something uncontrollable striking down on me and taking me almost savagely."

He pumped above her and smiled down, happy with her description.

"How does it feel for you?" She asked as she felt him start to twitch inside of her.

"Like a storm, just like...just like you described," he said as he started to loose control.

"Always?" She asked, astonished.

"Almost," he said as he pumped one more time and then let himself go.

"Oh, Hermione!" he called out to her.

She felt him empty his hot juice into her and she smiled as his face contorted above her.

"I love you," she said with a huge grin.

He panted and raised himself up so he could look at her carefully. Then he leaned down and kissed her soundly. He tucked some hair behind her ear and smiled at her.

"I can't believe you got a hotel room," she laughed.

"I've never done anything like this before," he chuckled with her. "I better owl Minerva and let her know we're away from the castle for the night."

"We're not going back?" She asked surprised as he slipped out of her and moved to lay beside her.

"No, I intend on using this room all night to pleasure my wife," he said with a smirk.

"Are you going to put that in your letter?" She chuckled.

"Maybe," he joked.

**********************************************  
She rushed into the Potions classroom out of breath. He was close behind her carrying her bag and dropped it on the floor next to her desk just after she sat down. They had stayed all night at the Inn making love for most of it, and getting back in time for class in the morning had proven more difficult than expected. A storm had blown into Hogsmeade in the middle of the night and the snow was piled high. It was a difficult and long walk back to the castle.

"Turn to page 539," he said almost instinctively as he walked to the front of the classroom.

She noticed his cheeks were still red from the walk and his pants were still wet around his calves. He had run ahead to their rooms once they entered the castle to get her bag for her and hadn't had time to place a drying spell on himself. She serendipiciously sent a drying spell to his pants; hoping it would make him more comfortable.

"You will be brewing a disillusionment potion today and trying it out on each other before the end of class. If you get it right you will disappear for 30 minutes, if you don't get it right...the warts should go away in a day or two. Get brewing!"

"Hermione, where were you two?" Harry asked as they walked toward the cupboard with all the ingredients. "He was almost 10 minutes late and he's never late for class."

"We were in Hogsmeade," she whispered even though no one was around them. "We didn't expect the storm and it took longer getting back to the castle this morning."

"Why did you go to Hogsmeade this morning?" Harry asked, interested.

"It wasn't this morning, we were there yesterday and last night," she said quietly as she looked over her shoulder. No one was near them. "It was our one month wedding anniversary."

"Oh," Harry said as his ears turned pink. Then he looked at her shocked. "So Snape took you away for a romantic night?"

"Why is that so surprising?" She asked, slightly offended.

"I'm sorry, it just...I guess you see a whole different side then his students do," Harry acquiesced.

"I do," she confirmed as they gathered their ingredients and walked back to their Cauldrons.

Forty minutes later the entire class had brewed the disillusionment potion, cleaned up their mess and had stoppered vials waiting to be tried.

"A little foggy," Professor Snape said as he picked up one vial. "Well done," he said as he looked at another. "Who brewed this pink one?" He asked. Lucy Brae raised her hand.

"You'll manage to avoid warts Miss Brae but it'll be interesting to see what does happen to your skin when you take this one," he said as he handed her the vial and nodded for her to drink it.

Lucy got all sweaty and her skin immediately started to turn translucent. Everyone in the class could see all the veins in her body as well as her organs.

"Picked up the disgusting habit of smoking I see?" Professor Snape said as he looked at her darkened lungs. "You might want to think about quitting."

Lucy returned to her seat while everyone looked at her organs.

"Okay, the rest of you can come and pick up your vials," he said to the class. "Most of you should disappear and the rest of you...well..."

The students picked up their potions and Severus had a prickling feeling at the back of his neck as Hermione reached for hers. There was something he was forgetting, and he couldn't put his finger on it. He still felt out of sorts from their journey this morning back to the castle. It was a rash decision to stay the night when they had classes the next day. But, she had tempted him so at dinner and seemed so pleased with herself about the maternity clothes and...

"Don't!" He yelled to Hermione as he lunged toward her and smacked the vial from her hand causing it to crash to the floor just as she was about to drink it.

"Sev..sir!" She yelled back at him.

The entire class looked at him like he was a madman out of control.

"Did you drink any?" He demanded as he shook her shoulders.

"No...I...maybe a drop fell on my tongue," she stammered. He pulled her toward his potion stores and removed a vial from the cabinet.

The entire class was silent as they watched the erratic behaviour before them.

"Put this in your mouth, swish and spit it out, now!" he said.

She looked at him confused but did as she was told. Members of the class had now moved to where they stood.

"What? What's the matter?" She asked, confused as she looked at the panic in his face.

"It could harm the baby," he said as he deflated in front of her. "Swish again," he said as he handed her another vial.

Tears formed in her eyes and she did as she was told.

Murmurings of "baby?" could be heard around the Gryffindor side of the room. The Slytherins, already knew about the baby and just watched to see if she would be okay.

"I think it may have just been a drop," she said as her voice broke. "Would one drop...?"

"I don't know," he answered her honestly.

"Oh gods," she said as she burst into tears.

He pulled her roughly towards him and kissed the top of her head as he held her tight. He murmured words of comfort and rubbed her back holding her while she cried. Every student watched dumbstruck as the man they had always known as harsh transformed before their very eyes. No potion necessary.


	3. Chapter 3

"It says here that _Veritas Illusium _can cause miscarriage even in the smallest dose," Luna said as she read from the pre-natal book in front of her.

Ginny nodded absently. "That seemed to be the reason he was so upset. He kept on asking her and she kept on saying that it might have been a drop."

"Did you know?" Matilda, a seventh year Gryffindor asked. "I ask because you don't seem as shocked as everyone else. Harry and Ron the same."

"Yeah, we knew," Ginny admitted.

"The Slytherins didn't seem surprised either," Matilda noted.

"I hadn't thought about them," Luna said, interested.

"Only Gryffindor were talking about the baby, and when they left to see Madam Pomfey, it was a Slytherin who cleared the classroom, disposed of the vials and locked up. You'd think they'd be freaking out. After all she is a Gryffindor."

"Do you think he told them? And Slytherins kept it quiet? No way!" Ginny said flabbergasted.

"They are known for being good secret keepers," Luna noted.

The three girls sat silently looking at the book again.

"It says here the baby has finger and toenails now," Luna said absently.

"Did you see him when it happened?" Ginny asked Matilda. "He looked possessed."

"It was a stupid mistake, one they both made and he just realized it at the last minute," Matilda said.

"But Snape doesn't make mistakes," Ginny said.

"Today he did, and that's probably why he's so upset," Luna explained. "He loves her and their baby and he thought he may lose one of them today."

"He still might," Ginny said. "Harry went up to the infirmary a half hour ago, hopefully he gets some news."

"Hopefully one drop isn't enough to lose the baby," Luna said softly. "I think they'd make good parents."

**********************************************

"Do you want to know the sex? It helps when I'm talking about the baby," Mediwitch Danica Gelder asked the upset couple before her.

"We don't give a damn about the sex, we just want to know how the baby is," Severus snapped at her as he paced a short distance next to Hermione while still holding her hand.

Hermione and he had been waiting for the Mediwitch to arrive for almost an hour. Poppy Pomfey could only do basic tests, but a Mediwitch was needed to find out the effect the potion had had on the baby.

"Poppy told you the heartbeat is regular and oxygen levels are good," Danica explained.

"Yes, but what about the potion?" Hermione asked. "That's why we called you."

"I'll have to do an internal," she said as she looked around the room. "If the potion was absorbed I'll see a purple/red discoloration on the uterine lining."

"Well, do it," Hermione said as she sat up to look at the woman.

"I'll need the room cleared," Danica said to Poppy, Minerva, Harry and Severus.

"I love you Mione," Harry said as he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "The baby's going to be fine."

"Thanks Harry," she choked out.

"I'll be..." Minerva said as she pointed to the door. "right outside."

"Do you need...?" Poppy asked.

"No, I'll be fine, thank you," Danica said.

Severus sat down on the chair next to Hermione and pulled it closer to the bed.

"Usually it's just me and the patient," Danica said as she looked at Severus.

"We are not your usual family, Madam," Severus said menacingly.

Hermione gripped his hand and nodded her head. She didn't want to be alone.

Danica got Hermione's feet up on the corners of the bed, pushed her new skirt up past her knees and noticed she was not wearing underwear.

"I took them off, they were uncomfortable," Hermione lied, not caring if the Mediwitch believed her or not.

She transfigured a set of clamps and slid them into Hermione's opening. It was cold and uncomfortable and Hermione shifted on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Severus asked.

"Uh, fine," She said as she cringed. "I should have known."

"You what?" He asked.

"I should have known," she said as silent tears fell from her eyes. "I've studied that potion, I know the effects on a baby and it didn't cross my mind. Not once Severus, not once."

"Oh, no," he said as he wiped her tears away with his hand. "I should have known, it wasn't the potion I planned for today and we were late and I just...I just fell back on an old faithful lesson without a thought about the baby. I was stupid Hermione, so stupid."

"I can see the lining and...and it looks normal," Mediwitch Danica said.

Severus leaned over and kissed Hermione.

"Can that change? Could it still happen?" Hermione asked, still worried.

"No, it's instant love," Severus said as he smiled. "If it got into your system it'd be there already. If it's not there, it won't."

"The fact that you may have only drank a drop and that your husband had the sense to get you to take the Gerhard Cleanser immediately...well, that probably made all the difference." Danica confirmed.

"Thank you so much," Hermione smiled at the Mediwitch.

"But lets try and stay away from toxic substance from now on, just to be safe," Danica pointed out.

"Otherwise the baby is fine?" Severus asked.

"Your baby is about 5 ounces and about 13 centimetres long with a perfect heartbeat and oxygen levels," Danica smiled. "Do you want to know the sex before I leave?"

Severus looked at Hermione and shrugged. As long as the baby was healthy he left the sex decision up to her.

"Okay," she said as she turned happily back to the Mediwitch. She had gone from a worried mess to an excited mom in the span of 2 minutes.

"It's a girl," Danica said with a smile.

"A girl," Hermione smiled up at him.

"She'll be brilliant like her mother," he said as he smiled down at her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Danica smiled at the now-relaxed couple. "I'll see much more of you in 4 weeks."

"Pardon?" Hermione asked, unsure.

"You'll be much bigger very soon," Danica smiled down at her.

"Oh!" Hermione laughed.

Danica left the happy couple alone and headed back to St Mungos.

"The baby's fine, she's perfectly fine," Hermione said happily.

"And I'm going to make a list of potions, charms and other activities you can no longer make, cast or take part in," he said as he touched her lips with his fingers. "And you are going to abide by it."

She nodded her head in agreement.

*******************************************

"She's fine, the baby's fine!" Harry announced to the Gryffindor table at lunch that day. A great roar of applause took over the Great Hall. The Slytherin table, more quietly, breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's just taking the rest of the day off, but she'll be back tomorrow," Harry said as he sat down.

"How's Professor Snape?" Luna asked as she appeared from the Ravenclaw table.

"He looked relieved," Harry explained. "He was even smiling at one point."

"Snape smiling, now this I've got to see!" Ron said.

"I think there's more to him than we know," Matilda said. "The way he was holding her when she cried..."

"Oh, spare me the romance novel!" Jerry protested.

"The baby's fine?" Maxima asked as she stood next to the Gryffindor table.

"What do you care?" Jerry snapped at her.

"Just tell me what you found out so I can leave," Maxima said to Harry.

"Uh, she and the baby are fine, no side effects, and she'll be back in her classes tomorrow," Harry told her nicely.

"And Professor Snape?" Maxima asked.

"Relieved and happy," Harry confirmed.

"Good, thanks," Maxima said before she turned to leave.

"The Slytherins knew, didn't they?" Ginny asked as she stood up next to Maxima to keep her from leaving.

"Yeah, but we're smart enough to not blab it all over the school like you idiots," Maxima said.

"What?" Ron asked offended.

"It happened in a classroom with just Gryffindor and Slytherins. How is it that every Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw now know they're expecting?"

"Maybe the Slytherins spread the word?" Jerry suggested.

"We've known almost since they announced their marriage," Maxima said. "What makes you think we'd suddenly start telling everyone? It wasn't our news to share."

"So Snape told you they were expecting?"

"No," Maxima admitted. "But we don't spread rumours about our Head of House."

She turned and walked back to her table to share the information.

"See, this is what happens when a Gryffindor marries a Slytherin," Jerry said pointing toward the Slytherin table. "We have to start dealing with them!"

************************************************

A month passed and things calmed down at the school. Hermione returned to her classes and the taunts stopped. Surprisingly news about their upcoming child seemed to quell many of the problems she had experienced before. She rarely heard a whisper and stopped getting bothered in the hallways.

"Uhhh, she won't stop rolling," Hermione said as she tried to fall asleep one night. She flipped from her side to her back.

"What did you have for dinner?" Severus asked as he placed a hand on her abdomen. He couldn't feel anything but he took his wife's word that the baby was active.

"Spaghetti and meatballs," she explained.

"It's quite acidic, maybe she doesn't like it," Severus said as he spread his palm open on her bare taunt skin.

"I like it," Hermione grumbled.

"But you don't when she rolls like this afterwards so stop with the pasta sauces," he admonished her.

"You know being right doesn't make me like you any more," she said with a smile.

"Oh, you like me well enough," he said softly as he rubbed her belly.

"Just because you're useful," she grinned at him.

"And, what pray tell is my use?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't tonight, Mediwitch Danica is coming in the morning and I can't have semen all over my uterine lining," she said as she touched his face.

"What?!" He asked surprised.

"The last time, after the potion..." She said with a leer.

"I'm sorry, I'm not following," he said as he looked at her quizzically.

"We'd been having sex all night before the incident," Hermione explained. "I'm surprised she could find my uterine lining through the sea of sperm that must have been inside me."

"Oh, I hadn't realized," he said, suddenly embarrassed.

"No, neither did I until later," she said softly. "We were too worried to think about that."

"And I'm sure your lack of knickers didn't help our case," Severus chuckled.

"No, we looked like we'd just screwed in the broom closet," Hermione shook her head.

"So you have it in your mind to make a better impression this time around?" Severus asked her.

"Yes," she said as she linked her fingers in hers. "And you'll be there?"

"Always," he said softly as he leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. "Still rolling?"

"Yep," she said as she looked at her rather large belly.

"Listen young lady," Severus said as he leaned toward her belly. Hermione began to giggle.

"Your mother has a potions test tomorrow and we hear her professor is a bastard," Severus continued.

Hermione giggled some more.

"She needs her sleep and you need yours," Severus said nicely. "If you allow your mother to get to sleep soon, I promise you a trip to Honey dukes when you are four."

"Severus!" She swatted at him.

"What? We won't tell her grandparents the dentists," he said jokingly. "And besides they're still baby teeth then, they'll fall out."

"No, she stopped wiggling and rolling," Hermione said. "I think she likes you voice."

"Really?" He asked, surprised.

"She's rolling again, try talking to her!"

"And say what?" He asked, flabbergasted.

"Anything, just talk!"

"Uh...a typical Versatium solution will get the subject to speak only the truth if diluted so it is one part potion per one stone body weight. So, to get a 180 pound man to tell only the truth you would need..."

"It's working!" She half whispered.

"So, I'm supposed to talk all night so you can sleep?" He asked her.

"No, just until I drift off, then you can stop," she said to him. "Do you have anything more romantic than Versatium?"

"Romantic?" He asked, unsure of what she expected.

"How about some of those unfulfilled life poems?"

"My love, you don't want to hear those," he said with disdain.

She smiled at the term of endearment. He hadn't said he loved her, but he called her his 'love' regularly now.

"Those are exactly the poems I want to hear," she said as she turned onto her side. He spooned behind her and they rested their hands entwined on her belly.

He cleared his throat and softly began, "I whispered, 'I am too young,' And then, 'I am old enough'; Wherefore I threw a penny  
To find out if I might love. 'Go and love, go and love, young man, If the lady be young and fair.' Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny, I am looped in the loops of her hair.

O love is the crooked thing, There is nobody wise enough, To find out all that is in it, For he would be thinking of love  
Till the stars had run away, And the shadows eaten the moon. Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,  
One cannot begin it too soon."

"It's lovely, who is it by?" She asked as she yawned.

"Yeats," he answered her simply.

"More please?" She asked.

"Who are you Oliver bloody Twist?" He snickered.

"Please..." she asked.

"Fine," he conceded with a sigh. "But no more unfulfilled life crap. Here's one that...well, it makes me think of you."

"Okay," she smiled into her pillow.

"It's by Brennan," he explained before he began. "If questioning would make us wise, No eyes would ever gaze in eyes;  
If all our tale were told in speech, No mouths would wander each to each.  
Were spirits free from mortal mesh, And love not bound in hearts of flesh  
No aching breasts would yearn to meet, And find their ecstasy complete.  
For who is there that lives and knows, The secret powers by which he grows?  
Were knowledge all, what were our need, To thrill and faint and sweetly bleed?  
Then seek not, sweet, the "If" and "Why", I love you now until I die.  
For I must love because I live, And life in me is what you give."

He grasped her hand tightly in his and said nothing more. She turned her head and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"What's it called?" She asked.

"It's called," his voice choked. "Because She Would Ask Me Why I Loved Her."

She turned in his arms and faced him. "I love you too, Severus."

He smiled back at her and they kissed.

****************************************


	4. Chapter 4

"So, you're saying not until after the baby is born?" Hermione asked him one night during dinner.

They had taken to dining in their rooms on the weekends. She was six months pregnant and looked like she was carrying a small beach ball against her slight frame. She had gained weight merely in her belly and from behind looked the same, but when she turned sideways, there was no mistaking her profile.

"All of the research is based on non-pregnant adults and, although they say it would be safe, no one has actually tested it on pregnant women," he said as he cut another piece of chicken.

"Because no pregnant woman would risk her child for the sake of a study," she said as she put her fork down.

"Exactly," he said as he reached for his glass of wine.

"So it's just conjecture, it's not really safe or unsafe?" She asked to clarify.

"From my discussions with the other Potions Masters, yes, that is the conclusion we have drawn," he said as he looked at her very full plate. "You must eat some more, my dear."

"Severus, I'm more of a grazer, big meals like this just give me heartburn," she explained as she took a drink of her water and rubbed her belly. "It's much easier if I eat small meals throughout the day. She likes it that way too."

"She seems to be quite demanding before even making her grand appearance," he chuckled.

"Oh, this one is not going to be a lightweight, I can tell you that from her kicks and punches," Hermione said with a smile as she looked at her belly. "As much as I want to know, I also don't want to know."

He knew what she was talking about; he just wanted to pretend the baby was part of him as well. "Hermione, if you don't want to find out, it is your choice."

"I know," she said as she rubbed her belly in slow circles. "If I don't find out we can just pretend she's yours."

He put down his fork looked at her thoughtfully. "It would still be pretending. But as I said before, and you must believe me, she doesn't have to be mine in body to be my daughter. My feelings for her don't change because of her biology."

"I know," she said truthfully.

"Why don't we leave any decisions about this until after she is born, you can decide if you still want to pursue this or not?" He asked as he stood up from his chair.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she looked at his almost full plate. "You have hardly eaten a thing."

"I can graze too," he said as he put out a hand to help her from her chair.

"Severus!" she chided. "Sit and eat."

"I have something to show you,' he said as he led her to their bedroom.

"I've seen it before," she laughed as she saw the direction they were going in.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, woman," he said with a smirk.

"When you're around it always there," she said with a sexy voice.

"Later," he said with a wicked grin.

"What happened to anyplace, anytime?" She teased.

"Fine," he said as he halted before their bed and tossed his arms out to the side in surrender "Have your way with me. Then I can show you what I came in here to."

"Really?" She smiled at him deviously as she touched his neck, "I can have my way with you?"

"When have you ever not?" He asked with a grin as he leaned into her touch.

"Maybe later," she said with a cock of her head. "Now, what did you want to show me?"

"Sit there," he said as he motioned toward their bed.

She did as told and watched him take a box out of this wardrobe. He handed it to her and sat next to her on the bed.

"Go ahead and open it," he gestured toward the box.

She noted that it was enclosed in an archival box and wondered what was inside. She lifted off the heavy lid and say tissue paper inside. Opening the tissue paper she found a very old and valuable looking book.

"The Adventures of Maya the Magpie" she said as she read the cover. "Severus this looks very old and expensive."

"It is," he said as he looked at the book reverently.

"This is for our baby?" She asked, hoping to understand the significance.

"Yes," he said quietly.

She opened up the book, and looked at the beautiful illustrations inside. "Oh, gods, this is gorgeous!"

"They are hand drawn in each volume," he explained.

"Here's a little Magpie that's smart as a whip," Hermione read. "She wants to take you on a very special trip. It's filled with magic and adventure and friends galore, Maya's days are never, ever a bore..."

"Severus, this is...well it's beautiful," she said as tears formed in her eyes.

"My grandmother used to read it to me as a child," he said as he gently touched the cover. "She was a very special woman, the only person who seemed to love me."

Hermione looked up at his face. "I know you don't speak of your parents but they must have..."

"I lived mainly with my grandmother, until she died," he said softly. "My parents were too busy being bitter to manage a child. So my grandmother raised me until I was almost nine. She read to me, taught me to play the piano, we played in the gardens...it was quite idyllic."

"But she died?" Hermione asked.

"In a potions accident," Severus explained. "She loved to brew, and one day she was distracted and...I found her when I heard the explosion. She was dead by the time I arrived."

"Oh, Severus I'm so sorry," she said quietly as she grasped his hand.

"I was sent off to live with my parents," he said as he looked off into nothingness. "They didn't allow me to bring anything from my grandmother's house, not even, my favourite book. My father sold all of her things in auction and they moved me into their dark, gloomy house. My parents were two very bitter, angry people and I avoided them and their home as much as possible. I only read books a local school master loaned me, there was no more playing in the gardens, and no more piano. I was very alone, except for Lily, until I came to Hogwarts. I sometimes wonder, when I'm feeling particularly macabre, how different my personality, my life, and my choices would have been if my grandmother had lived and raised me instead."

"But she was with you for the first nine years Severus, that has impact," she said as she looked into his eyes. "You are a warm, giving, honourable man. None of that seemed to come from your parents. It came from her. If you had only ever been with your parents none of those admirable qualities would be part of you."

He nodded his head in agreement.

"I love you and...you are not your parents. Would your father have bought this book for his daughter?"

Severus scoffed. "He thought books were useless, that they filled your head with nonsense. I'd also hate to think of the small value he'd place on a daughter, when he treated his only son so poorly."

"You have love in your heart and you bring me so much joy," she said softly as she caressed his cheek. "The fact that you searched out this book for our girl, and shared what I'm sure is a painful family history with me...well Severus...you are just beautiful. You're going to be an amazing father-and you know it."

He grinned at her and pecked her softly on the lips.

"I...I can't wait to read this to her," he said as he touched a page softly. "Maya is quite brilliant, but she gets into some trouble..."

"Is this your actual childhood copy?" She asked him.

"I don't know, the chance is very slim. It's been out of print for over a hundred years, which is why it's so rare. That and the fact that so few copies were made makes it very difficult to acquire."

"This is the nicest thing...thank you Severus," she said as her eyes welled up. "We will read this to our girl cover to cover...I hope she has wonderful memories of it like you do."

"Thank you," he said softly.

************************************************** ***

"Gods, you look huge!" Harry said as he greeted her Monday morning.

"Thanks so much," Hermione said with disdain.

"No, I swear you like popped or something over the weekend," he said as he eyed her belly carefully.

"It's the skirt, I think," Hermione said as she looked down at herself. "It's the cut, it doesn't drape much."

"Oi, Mione, you look huge!" Ron said as he walked toward the Gryffindor table for breakfast. "You sure there's only one in there?"

"Gracious as always Mr. Weasley," Severus Snape said from behind them.

"Sorry, sir," Ron said as he avoided his professor's eyes.

"There is only one 'in there' as you so nicely put it," Snape said as he eyed the young man. "Her frame is much to small to handle twins."

Hermione smiled up at him, grateful for the subtle compliment.

"Madam Hooch informed me that she wishes for you to meet her in the library before class," Severus said to Hermione.

"Why the library?" Hermione asked, confused.

"You must stop flying at six months," he said quietly. "She has a research project she wants you to do in lieu of practical lessons."

"Oh," Hermione said softly. "Okay."

"You can't fly anymore?" Harry asked astounded.

"It's not like I'll miss it," Hermione said.

"She also can't apparate, and use of the Floo should be limited," Severus said to the group.

"Enjoy walking," Ron said to her as he patted her on the shoulder.

"I actually need to go into Hogsmeade to get some...things. Do you think Ron and Harry could get permission to come with me? We all have the afternoon off today." She asked Severus.

"I can take you," Severus said.

"But you've go class until just after 4 and...this way we can go and be back for dinner, if you boys are okay with that?"

"Uh, sure, I'll go," Harry said excited. "Ron?"

"An extra trip to Hogsmeade? I'm in!" Ron said happily.

"You'll walk?" Severus asked.

Hermione nodded.

"And you will stay with your friends?" He asked.

She nodded again.

"And you'll be back by dinner?" He asked.

She smiled at him and nodded.

"Fine, I'll clear the three of you with Filtch," he said as he watched her bounce up on her toes in front of him.

"Potter and Weasley, I am holding your personally responsible for my wife's welfare," Severus said with a menacing look.

"Oh stop it!" She smacked him on his chest.

"I will not take any sort of abuse from you, my dear," he said with a smirk.

"Thank you, Severus," she said quietly.

"Have fun, but not too much," he said with a wink before he walked away.

******************************************


	5. Chapter 5

"So why the trip to Hogsmeade?" Harry asked her as they walked into town.

"I need to get an Easter gift for my parents, some pregnancy-related stuff, and a gift for Severus. Also, its a gorgeous spring day and I just wanted to get out of the castle for the afternoon."

"Don't let your husband hear you say that or he'll kill you for taking advantage." Ron said as he eyed Honey dukes.

"I need to go to Harriet's first because she special ordered something and then we can hit the sweet shop,ok?"

"Hey, its your party. We're just along for the ride." Harry said.

The approached Harriet's and Hermione got anxious. She didn't want them seeing what she ordered.

"Uh, I'm okay by myself in here," she said at the door.

"No way," Harry said. "Snape will skin us."

Hermione sighed and walked in the store.

"Hi Harriet, my orders in?"

"Oh yes, we just got it from France. Can I take a look? It might be something we want to carry."

"Uh, maybe you can check it in the back?" Hermione said as she looked at her friends.

"Oh uh, sure," Harriet said as she picked the envelope off the shelf and took it around back.

"Bet its a breast pump," Ron whispered to Harry. "Weird contraption they are."

"To make them bigger? They're huge already!" Harry whispered back.

"I heard that," Hermione said over her shoulder. "And its not a breast pump."

"They're lovely. I'm going to set up an order," Harriet said to Hermione with a smile. "Worth the price I'd say."

"Good," Hermione smiled back as she signed the bill with her wand.

"Are they gold plated?" Ron asked as he looked at the price over her shoulder.

"No, that would be uncomfortable. But they'll get the desired effect." Harriet said vaguely.

"Thank you for placing the order," Hermione said as she took the envelope from her and put it under her arm.

"Maybe I should visit my brother before we hit Honey dukes," Ron said.

"Hey maybe Filtch won't be around to frisk us when we get back," Harry said excited.

They walked in the store and were greeted by George's new assistant.

"Mr Wesley just stepped out to do a bank deposit," he told the disappointed trio.

"Anything in the development stage?" Ron asked as he peered over the counter.

"Yeah, we have these fog...just a second I have to help someone at the register." He said as he rushed off.

"Fog huh? Seems pretty useful." Ron said as he handled the can. " How much do you think it makes?"

"Only one way to find out," Harry said ad he twisted the top.

Fog immediately started to fill the room.

"Wow, its pretty thick," Hermione said as she watched her two friends disappear in the fog.

"Your not supposed to do that in the shop!" The assistant yelled as the entire store filled with fog.

"How long does it last?" Ron asked. "Because you've got to admit this is pretty cool."

Suddenly they heard some shuffling and an apparition 'pop'.

"Is someone there?" The assistant asked.

"Mione maybe we should get you outside, the fumes..." Harry started. "Mione?"

"Hermione don't joke!" Ron called.

No response.

"Hermione? Hermione!" Harry called as he and Ron frantically waved their hands around looking for her.

"Mione!" Ron yelled.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" George's voiced called out as the door opened.

"George make the fog disappear!" Ron called to him.

"Evictus!" George called and the fog got sucked back in the can.

Hermione was nowhere to be seen.

"Mione!" Harry called as he ran from the shop and looked up and down the street. "Mione!"

She was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

"Mr. Franklin, do you care to explain to the class why your potion is grey instead of green?" Severus Snape asked his 4th year student.

"Uh, uh..." the young man stuttered.

"Do you care to guess what the likelihood is that you will need hospitalization after taking this potion?" He asked as he walked toward the front of the classroom, he hands behind his back.

"Probably pretty good?" the young man asked.

"That is the first smart answer you have given since joining this class," Severus Snape said as he reached his desk.

"Mr. Franklin, if you were to take this potion," he said as he turned to face the class. "you would find yourself covered in..."

He stopped speaking when he saw Ron Weasley standing at the back of the room; his face white as a ghost.

He swallowed hard as he watched Ron walk toward him. Severus felt paralyzed in his spot.

"Uh,can we talk?" Ron asked him as the class watched in attention.

"What happened?" Severus asked as he looked at the young man.

"She's...she's gone," Ron said simply.

"Gone?" He asked.

"Harry is looking for her and we called in Aurors so they should be there soon and..."

"Did someone kidnap her?" He asked.

"Not...not that we know," Ron stammered, surprised Snape had not taken his head off yet.

"What...what do you know?" Severus asked as he tried to maintain control.

"We were in my brother's shop and we turned on a fog can and the whole place filled with fog; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. She was right beside me and then there was a pop and we called to her...she didn't answer. George came back and cleared the fog and she wasn't there. We think someone apparated in and snatched her while we were in the fog."

Severus took one step then another then another striding past his students and Ron and out the door without another word to them.

He ran across the grounds, surprised his feet were carrying him and his knees weren't buckling. The entire time cursing himself for not going with her and cursing her for wanting to go.

He apparated into a shit storm in the middle of Hogsmeade. Aurors were everywhere, merchants were out of their shops, shoppers were gossiping in corners. He spotted Weasley's shop and marched inside.

"What the hell happened to my wife?" He yelled.

"Professor Snape," an Auror approached him. "We are exploring every avenue to find your wife."

"Someone apparated here?" Severus asked as he looked around the shop.

"We have not been successful in tracking the location she was taken to," the Auror explained.

"My...my wife is six months pregnant and she shouldn't be apparating," he stumbled over what to say.

"We were made aware of her condition," the Auror said to Severus.

"What do you know?!" He snapped.

"We know that she picked up this package," he said as he handed it to Severus. "at Harriet's and then came here with her two friends Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley at which time..."

"Who did she pick up the package from?" Severus asked

"The owner of..." he started to say as Severus stalked away from him, package in hand.

"Professor Snape!" Harry called after him as he fell in walking behind him all the way to Harriet's. "She...she just vanished in the fog. I have checked all the streets, and she just...professor?"

Severus ignored him and walked into Harriet's and up to the owner. "My wife got this package from you?"

"Uh, yes, I'm so sorr..."

"When?" Severus asked.

"A-About thirty minutes ago," she stammered.

"Why did she get a package here?" Severus asked.

"She...she wanted to order some undergarments from France and they don't ship to individuals, just to businesses, so she asked me to place the order."

"Was the order in her name or the businesses?" He asked.

"The businesses," Harriet replied.

"And how did she communicate with you about the order?" He asked.

"She...she sent an owl a couple of weeks ago," Harriet said.

"Do you still have it?"

She nodded.

"Show me," he said as he leaned over the counter and held on tight.

"Sir, I..."

"Shut it Potter," he said as he emptied the contents on the envelope onto the counter.

Lying in front of him were several pairs of lacy, colourful women's underwear.

He cleared his throat and looked at the label. It read **Simone vetements de maternite sexy.**

"Not a word," Severus warned as he put them back in the envelope.

"Here it is," Harriet said as she handed him the scroll.

Severus tapped the scroll with his wand and revealed not only Hermione's seal and Harriet's unsealing but another wand, both unsealing and sealing it in between the two.

"It was intercepted," Severus said aloud.

"What?!" Harry asked.

"You sent one to her letting her know the order was in?"

Harriet nodded.

"Have no Aurors been by?" Severus asked.

"Just to ask when she was here, but nothing else," Harriet explained.

"Typical," Severus said. "They're not going to find Hermione."

"What do we do?" Harry asked.

"We don't rely on those damn Aurors to find her," he said as he walked from the shop with the envelope and the scroll.

He was back at the castle tearing apart their bedroom as Harry stood at the doorway watching. Severus could give two craps about privacy at this moment as he emptied drawers on their bed and sifted through her belongings. One after another he dumped, looking for the elusive scroll and more evidence that someone had been waiting for her arrival. He pulled open her wardrobe and threw robes and dresses onto the bed.

"Check all the pockets!" He called to Harry.

Harry jumped into action and went over to the bed to search her clothes while Severus started to look through various cases on a dresser.

"Here! Here!" Harry called as he read the scroll. "It's from Harriet, it says her order is in, that's all."

"Let me run a test," Severus said as he took the scroll from Harry.

It showed an interception as well. He sat heavily on their bed amidst her things and put his head in his hands.

"So someone was waiting for this opportunity," Harry said. "Why would someone want Mione?"

Severus scraped his hands down his face. He had a feeling he knew why, but he couldn't share it with Potter.

"Where's Minerva?" Severus asked.

"She's...she's gone into Hogsmeade, I think," Harry offered.

"Poppy?" Severus asked.

"I can get her if you..."

"Get her and bring her here," Severus said as he rubbed his hands against his thighs.

When Poppy arrived at the door of their bedroom she thought she may have seen Severus wipe his eyes but she couldn't be sure.

"Severus?" Poppy asked as she walked toward him.

"Are we alone?" He asked.

"I warded your rooms after I entered," she said. "And I called Danica at St Mungos."

"And?"

"There was a break in a couple of months ago and some records were copied. Hermione's was one of them." She said. "They increased security and they've had no break-ins since."

"Any suspects?" Severus asked.

"No," Poppy said sadly. She noticed he was clutching one of Hermione's sweaters like his life depended on it.

"Why would someone want her?" Severus asked. "Can the baby sur...?"

"It's too early to take the baby and it to survive," Poppy said as she clamped on his shoulder.

"So why?" he asked, his voice breaking.

"I don't...I don't know," she said.

"Maybe they've taken her to keep her," he said.

"For what purpose Severus?" Poppy asked.

"They raped her once Poppy, what's another time?!" he yelled as he threw the shirt he was holding across the room.

"I'm sure she's..."

"Safe?!" He snapped as he rose from the bed. "I can assure you that right now she is anything but, safe!"


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione's eyes slowly opened as she took in her surroundings. She was on a bed in an unfamiliar room. She turned her head. The room was plain, too plain. There were no personal touches of any kind just a bed, dresser, chair and TV. It was then that her eye caught the "Tell Us How We Did" table topper and she realized she was in a hotel room.

Her body felt heavy, her head fuzzy and her mouth tasted like glue. She looked out the window; it was night time. She went to sit up and suddenly felt violently ill. Rising from the bed she stumbled to the washroom and was just about the vomit into the toilet when a water glass caught her eye. She quickly grabbed it and vomited into it and the toilet at the same time. Somehow, her mind worked slowly, she needed to keep this evidence.

She slouched onto the floor and sat with her back against the washroom wall. She had no idea where she was, what day it was, or even if she and the baby were okay and that frightened her. She began to shake uncontrollably.

"What if they're coming back?" She suddenly asked, now knowing if she was even safe yet.

She rose on unsteady legs and walked back into the room her mind reeling. Someone had grabbed her during the fog incident at Weasleys. It was a man, a very strong man. He had clamped something over her mouth and apparated with her; that was the last she remembered.

She placed her hand on her belly, waiting for movement from her daughter. Her heart felt liked it stopped the entire time she waited. Then, there was a large kick to her side. Hermione laughed madly as the tears popped out of her eyes. She knew she needed to call Severus. She looked around and noted she was in a chain hotel on the outskirts of London. One that advertised great family rates while still being accessible to the "city". She called forth her Patronus. The otter swam for a moment and then fizzled in front of her.

"No!" she yelled to herself. "Get a grip Hermione."

She thought about her baby squirming inside her, she thought about Severus wrapping his arms around her, she thought about how safe and loved she felt whenever he was near, she thought about the moment she learned she was having a girl, she thought about him reciting the poem that was just for her, she thought about ecstasy washing over her body as he pleasured her...

She raised her wand and cast a brilliant patronus. She sent it to him at the castle, telling him where to find her. When the patronus whizzed out of the room she went to the door to ensure it was locked, crouched in a corner out of view, held her want tight, and waited as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

He had been going mad looking for her for the last 7 hours. Minerva had even lifted the anti-apparition wards from his chambers so he could go between them and all the other locations he wanted to visit. There had been a trip to her parent's house, which only proved to disturb them and cause her mother to cry. There had been a trip to the Burrow to find no one home; they all had left for Hogsmeade to help with a ground search. There had been multiple trips back and forth to Hogsmeade so he could question more people, infuriate Aurors, and look for more clues. There had been a consultation with a seal expert at Oxford who needed more time with the scrolls to find definitive answers. There had been an interview with the staff at St Mungos about the break-in and any evidence that was gathered as a result.

Throughout this whole process Harry had followed him around like a nervous lapdog, unsure of what he could do to help but not wanting to leave. But, he had been helpful in calming Severus down as he encountered people. Severus had become more and more agitated once the initial shock had warn off. He was short with people, demanding of their immediate time, and angry when they didn't have the answers he sought. The man was relentless in his search for Hermione. A trait that endeared Harry to him, but frightened him just as equally.

"Sir, you should eat something," Harry said as he placed a plate in front of his professor. It was coming up on 11 pm and Harry was sure he hadn't eaten since lunch. With all the apparating they were doing Snape's energy stores would be low.

Snape mumbled something incoherent as he poured over a huge book.

"You won't be able to help her if you are passed out in the infirmary," Harry said like a doting mother.

"I'm fine, I..."

"Is that why you hands are shaking?" Harry asked him.

Severus stopped and looked down at his hands. They were shaking uncontrollably. He cursed his humanity for a moment and picked up the proffered sandwich and took a bite.

"What are you looking for? I can search while you eat," Harry said as he moved next to his professor.

"There's...there's an ancient spell referenced in this book somewhere," Severus said absently as he pointed at the text. "It is a dirty way of tracking a woman based on...maybe I should just look."

"Based on what?" Harry asked as he nodded for Snape to take another bite of his sandwich.

Snape took a bite and collapsed in a chair, tired and unsure if he wanted to talk to Potter about this. If he could just eat the damn sandwich and stop shaking, he could look himself.

"Based on what?" Harry asked, more anxious.

Snape took another bite of his sandwich.

"If you want me to look, I need to know," Harry said, growing angrier by the second. "My best friend is missing! I don't care about the dirty secrets you want to keep. Its dark magic isn't it?"

Severus looked at him for a moment.

"It's not dark magic; it's just...private information." He paused before continuing. "Husbands used to use this ancient dirty spell to track their wives."

"And how is that private?" Harry asked, confused.

Severus sighed and rubbed his temple. "They tracked their wives through this spell by locating their own semen...inside of her."

"Oh," Harry said, not knowing how to respond. "So, you and Mione...before she was...taken?"

It had to be one of the most embarrassing conversations of Severus' life.

Severus nodded stiffly.

"Not to get technical," Harry said awkwardly. "But she's been gone for seven hours and we had classes before we left...would it still be...traceable?"

Snape leaned over his legs resting his elbows on his knees.

"She caught me off guard in my private stores just before you left." Severus said in a raspy voice as he hid his face. "Women at this stage of pregnancy are very...randy, Potter. My wife is no different."

"Oh," Harry said as his ears burned. Now it made sense why she looked all flushed and happy when she met him and Ron at the entry. At the time, Harry had just thought she was happy to be going into Hogsmeade for the afternoon. It wasn't that which made her flushed.

"So where do I find this reference?" Harry asked as he got back to business.

Severus appreciated that there were no more questions.

"You can start with the section labelled Household Management and..."

Just then the patronus of an otter dove into his living room. Severus immediately jumped to his feet.

'Severus come and get me,' the patronus spoke in her voice. 'I'm at a M hotel near Gatwick airport outside of London. I need you.'

Severus apparated immediately to the Gatwick airport washroom stalls off of the main arrivals gate. He transfigured his clothes into muggle attire as he marched from the washroom and toward the hotel information booth.

"Where is a nearby M hotel?" he asked the clerk as he butt in line.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you have to wait in line," the clerk indicated to the people behind him.

"But it's a matter of life and death," Severus pleaded.

"Look buddy I don't think getting a hotel room is a matter of life and death, so get to the end of the line!" A large man called from behind him.

"Sir, I've got it!" Harry said as he grabbed his shoulder. He thrust a pamphlet into his professor's hand. It was an advertisement for the local M hotel with an address.

They both apparated to the outside of the hotel. Severus found an empty hallway near the pool and cast a magic finding spell. Tiny sparkles led them up 3 flights of stairs and down a hall to a room.

"It could be a trap," Harry said as he grabbed Severus' shoulder and pulled out his wand before opening the door.

The door opened and Severus said her name into the blackness. "Hermione?"

There was a sniffle and they both pivoted to the sound just in time as Hermione launched herself into Severus' arms.

"Oh gods, you're here!" She cried in his arms.

"Oh, my love," he said as he patted her hair and felt around on her body to make sure she wasn't injured. "I was so..."

"Someone took me at Weasleys and I woke up here," she cried as she kissed his face.

"Are you okay? Is the baby...?" He let the question hang.

"She's fine, she's kicking, feel," she placed his hand on her belly and he got a good swift kick. They both laughed.

"Do you remember anything? What they did to you?" He asked.

"No," she said softly as she shook her head in the negative.

"I'm going to..." Harry started.

"Harry!" she cried, just noticing him. She let go of Severus and gave Harry a hug too.

"I'm so happy you're okay Mione," he said as he clung to her.

"Me too," she agreed.

"I'm going to apparate to Hogsmeade and let everyone know you've been found," he said as he released her. "The Aurors should be here soon but I'll keep everyone else away. I'm sure they're going to want to interview you and scope the place."

Hermione went back into Severus' arms and sighed against him.

"Thank you," Severus said as he held out his hand.

Harry shook it and smiled back at the man who looked more happy and relieved than he'd ever thought possible.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," Harry smiled back at them before he apparated to Hogsmeade.

"Are you really okay?" Severus asked as he held her face in his hands and looked into her eyes studying her reaction.

"I feel violated," she said softly. "I don't know who took me or what they did and...and it scares me. It scares me for myself and our baby."

She burst into sobs and he pulled her tightly against him.

"It's going to be okay," he said softly into her hair. "You're safe now."

"Your test results have come back," Danica said to Hermione and Severus as they sat in chairs in her office. It was 2am and they looked like they had not slept for 2 weeks. They were both frail looking.

Her exams had been psychologically painful. They had run a rape kit, taken fluid samples, tested the vomit, taken blood and run many baby scans. Each one, Hermione was sure, was going to tell her that something awful had happened to either her or her child. She cried through each test and broke the skin on Severus hand as she clung to him, anxious.

"The baby is fine," Danica gave them the news she knew they most wanted to hear first. "A tox screen of the amniotic fluid showed no signs of poison, or any other potions that would be harmful to her. She's got a regular heartbeat, is slightly bigger than average, and was sucking her thumb and kicking the crap out of your bladder when we did the scans."

They both smiled, relieved. Severus moved Hermione's hand to his lips and kissed it briefly.

"The rape kit also came back negative," Danica said as she saw the couple relax. "No fluids in the anus, and only the presence of your husband's fluids in your vagina."

Hermione closed her eyes and relief washed over her features. Danica noted that Severus did the same thing.

"The Apparition when you were taken caused no issues for the baby, although I would not attempt it again."

Hermione and Severus nodded in agreement.

"Your blood tests show small amounts of _Fragmentia Terminalis _in your system but not enough to knock you out," Danica continued. "But the vomit is a different story. It shows high concentrations of it."

"How can it be...?" Severus started to ask as the science didn't make sense.

"I think they put a protection charm on the baby," Danica said as she opened up another file. "It's complicated but possible. It allows the drug to affect the mother but not the child. Although the full concentration probably wouldn't have harmed the baby, the person who did this wanted to ensure the protection of the child."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"That's a question for the Aurors, not me I'm afraid," Danica said truthfully.

"No obliviate charms were cast on you, but your lack of memory is troubling," Danica explained. "I understand you are an accomplished Legitimens?"

"Yes," Severus said.

"Maybe you, or another Legitimens could assist Hermione with recovering these memories?"

"I think that is the best course of action," Severus agreed.

"Do you have any questions about the tests?" Danica asked.

Hermione shook her head in the negative.

"Thank you Mediwitch," Severus said as he stood and helped his wife rise.

"I hope you find your answers," She replied.

Severus helped Hermione to the fireplace, took her hand, threw some power in and said "Hogwarts: Snape Rooms." They stepped in and disappeared.

"Severus, I do not think that taking her away from the castle is the best course of action," Minerva said as she stood up from her desk.

"They took her again, Minerva!" He snapped as he ran a hand through his long hair as he paced before her. The late-afternoon sun showed the wear on his features.

"You don't think I know that!" She snapped back at him. Everyone's nerves were on edge. "But they took her from outside of the castle, not inside, Severus."

"I need to take her somewhere safe, somewhere hidden," he said as he continued to pace.

"Perhaps once you get some sleep, have a chance to think..."

"There's no time, I have to get her away while they..."

"And what? Never sleep again Severus? Guard her 24 hours a day? Run for the rest of your lives? What happens when the baby arrives? Going to deliver that too, are you?"

"What else can I do?!" He screamed.

She walked over to him and put a hand gently on his shoulder. He stopped pacing. "Severus Snape I have known you in good times and bad since you were eleven years old. You don't run away from your problems, you don't bury your head in the sand, and you don't make hasty decisions. Don't start now."

He looked at her, sat heavily in a nearby chair and started to cry. He covered his face and cursed his lack of sleep and raw emotions as she rubbed a motherly hand gently across his back and said soft words of consolation. He had been up for over 36 hours, not eaten much, been to hell and back looking for her, and then had stoically supported her while she fell apart. She was finally asleep in their quarters, being watched by Ron Weasley. He took the opportunity to visit Minerva thinking she would help him hatch his plan.

Once he had composed himself, he returned to their chambers.

"Has she stirred?" He asked as he stood at the door to their bedchamber.

"No, she's hardly moved," Ron said as he stood up from the chair next to their bed. "How is she?"

"She's a strong woman," Severus answered vaguely.

"That she is," Ron smiled down at her. "Do you...do you want me to stay?"

"No, we'll be fine," Severus said as he removed his jacket and threw it over a chair without caring where it landed.

Ron turned to walk from the room but stopped when he got to his professor. "I'm sorry about the fog, sir. It was my fault."

Severus later blamed his next act on sheer exhaustion. He patted Ron warmly on the shoulder. "It wasn't you fault Ron. They were going to take her that day anyways. They were just looking for an opportunity."

Ron looked at him strangely. It was the first time the professor had ever called him by his given name. It was also the first time he had ever been particularly nice to him.

"Thank you, sir," he said softly. "If you need me..."

"I'll call," Severus nodded. "Thank you for your help."

He started to take off his shirt and pants and climbed into bed next to his wife as he heard the front door of his quarters seal and the wards lift again. He didn't remember his head hitting his pillow.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione lay watching the sleeping form of her husband. He was so beautiful when relaxed. He had a memorable face already, but in sleep...he was an innocent young man again. There were no abusive parents, no bullies, no death eaters, no Voldemort, no victim for a wife. She loved him too much to think that she had truly enhanced his life. In fact the wrinkle between his brows seemed to have deepened since they were married. She had added to his heartache in significant ways. It pained her to see him so upset. He hid it but she knew him too well to know otherwise.

She had been a disaster after they had returned to their quarters. She had cried for hours, she had said horrible things about herself and what she deserved. She had clawed at her skin, ripped at his skin, and yelled like a madwoman. He had held her like a child, told her she was wrong about herself, allowed her to lash out at him, washed her in a tub, and laid holding her for hours while she mumbled incoherent thoughts about their future. Eventually, she had fallen asleep in his arms while he whispered soft words to her, sang sweet songs, and told her he loved her again and again.

"You are much too good for me," she said as she touched his cheek.

She looked at the clock and noted that she had been asleep for just over 10 hours. Her bladder was complaining and she rose to take care of the pressure. When she returned, he had rolled onto his back and was snoring softly. She snickered to herself and climbed back into bed beside him wrapping a leg over his, and slinging an arm across his torso. His snoring brought her comfort. He insisted that he didn't snore, but she decided that it was just easier to lose that argument.

She fell asleep again listening to his nasal song.

*******************************************

"Are they planning on never coming out?" Barry Wentworth asked one day at lunch as he noted the absence of his Head of House again. "I can't stand having that supply Potions teacher for another day."

"It was traumatic," Maxima said, disgusted. "How would you like to have your pregnant wife kidnapped?"

"Okay, you made your point," Barry said as he reached for the rice. It had been two weeks since the incident with the Snapes and no one had seen or heard of them from Slytherin House.

"Do you think they know?" Celeste asked as she eyed the Gryffindor table.

"I think I heard something about Ron guarding her," Maxima said as she looked across the room. "But where would Professor Snape be if she needed guarding?"

"I'm going to find out," Celeste said as she rose from the table and walked over to the Gryffindor table.

"I'm coming too!" Maxima called after her.

They walked toward Harry, Ginny and Ron who seemed to be deep in conversation.

"I'd want to kill her too if she kept after me about all that self-actualization crap," Ron said as he grabbed a chicken leg. "Snape's a bloody saint is all I have to say."

"Did you ever think you would say that?" Ginny giggled.

"What about Professor Snape?" Celeste asked.

All three heads snapped in her direction.

"Uh, nothing," Ginny said.

"We have the right to know," Maxima said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"No one has the right to know their business," Harry said as he stood to speak with them.

"Well, you seem to be quite interested in it at the moment," Celeste observed.

"We, uh..." Harry stammered.

"All we want to know," Celeste said as she leaned in conspiratorially. "is if everything is okay."

Harry grabbed her by the elbow and walked with her from the Great Hall.

"What are you doing?" Celeste said as she pulled away from him when they got to the main entrance.

"Taking you somewhere to talk," Harry hissed at her. "Unless you really do want everyone in the school to know their business."

"No," Celeste conceded.

"They are seeing a trauma counsellor," Harry said as he looked around to make sure they were alone. "She's had...she's had a hard time dealing with being abducted."

"I can imagine," Celeste said softly. "Why isn't Professor Snape back teaching?"

"He's at the sessions with her," Harry said.

"Professor Snape's in counselling?" She almost choked on the words.

"He wouldn't do this for anyone but Hermione," Harry smirked at her. "The damn counsellor has them keeping journals and is making him talk about his childhood."

"I thought it was Hermione who was in counselling?" Celeste asked confused.

"It is supposed to be just her, but Dr. Piccard has found Professor Snape...well let's just say she can't pass up this opportunity to pry into his psyche. She's coming everyday."

"Oh gods. I bet he's ready to skin her," Celeste laughed.

"I think it's getting close to that," Harry agreed as people started to file out of the Great Hall.

"Can we do anything?" Celeste asked.

"Don't tell your House about the counselling," Harry said. "Some Slytherins might see it as a weakness and...and he's got enough to deal with."

"You seem to like him?" Celeste asked, puzzled.

"Let's just say, I see what he's doing for Hermione and ...and I can't think of him as a bastard anymore."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Celeste laughed. "And your secret is safe with me and Maxima."

"Thanks," Harry smiled at her.

******************************************

"And when your mother rejected you..." Dr. Piccard continued as she followed Severus around their kitchen as he made coffee. "How did that make you feel as a sexually aware teenager?"

"Excuse me?" Severus asked, incensed.

"Did you ever find yourself sexually attracted to your mother?" Dr. Piccard asked as she followed him into the living room.

"Gods no!" Severus said. "Uh, why are you here so early? Hermione is not up yet."

"I like coming early, because it gives us a chance to talk," she explained as she made herself at home on their couch.

"I better go and wake Hermione," he said as he exited the room. Being polite to this woman for the last week and a half had been killing him inside. And these last 4 days she had come early to talk with him about his childhood. Like he ever wanted to go there again!

"Love?" He asked as he approached the bed.

She wasn't in the covers.

"Hermione?!" He called as he walked toward the washroom. "Hermione?!"

"In here!" She called from the washroom.

He walked inside and saw his very pregnant and very naked wife towelling herself off.

"Shut the door, its cold!" She said as she wrapped a towel around her body.

"Well we mustn't have that," he leered at her as he approached. He grabbed the edge of her towel and pulled it loose revealing her beautiful round body.

"You have to help dry me off, if you're going to take it away," she smiled at him.

"My pleasure," he said as he walked around to pat her back dry. "Dr. Piccard is here,"

"My, my she's coming earlier and earlier, isn't she?" Hermione giggled.

"Do you still feel like you are benefiting from her presence?" He asked, trying to broach the subject.

Although he didn't like Dr Piccard, and didn't see the counselling as much help, he didn't want to make choices for her if she thought it was working.

"I...I think I've got everything I can from her help," Hermione said. "She's helped me see things more clearly and she has helped us deal with this better as a couple. I...I wouldn't have ever known your feelings if it hadn't been for her."

"You mean my fear and inadequacy?" He said with disdain. "Yes, that is so beneficial."

He finished drying her back and rounded to her front, patting her skin dry with care.

"I love you," she said as she cupped his cheek.

"So, we can send her on her way?" He asked, a little too happily. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she smiled at him. "I think we need to go back to the new normal."

"I like normal," he said as he kissed her lips. "But I also want you to not pretend everything is alright on days when it is not."

"See? Dr. Piccard has got you communicating," she smiled up at him.

"Blasted woman," he said as he smiled down at her. "I now have a bloody sensitive side."

"Oh, it was always there Severus," she said as she got up on her toes and kissed his chin. "Now you are just filled with odd questions about your mother and your sexuality."

He sneered at the thought. "So, I can see her out?"

"Yes, you can stop being polite towards her for my sake," Hermione said.

"I wasn't..."

"Yes, you were and I love you for it,' she said as she took the towel from him. "Were you afraid she's mess with my mind if you weren't so nice?"

"There was that possibility," he said as he took a step back so she could wrap the towel around herself. "But there was also the possibility that she would make us draw pictures of our souls again."

"Gods that was awful!" Hermione laughed.

He leaned in and kissed her on the nose. "Back to the new normal tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," she smiled at him. "Today I want to lay in bed with you, read books and eat ice cream."

"Sounds much better than talking about my feelings," he said as he turned to leave. "I'll meet you there in 5 minutes, after I have escorted the good doctor from the castle."

**************************************

Hermione walked into her Potions classroom and took her seat amidst some whispering. She's been gone from class for almost two and a half weeks; the same amount of time as the Professor who was now walking in the door, his robes billowing behind him.

"Turn to page 329 and lets see if you actually learned anything in my absence," he said as he walked to the front of the room. "the potion is called Levitas Emotium. Can anyone tell me why someone would brew this potion?"

He looked around the room and saw his wife's hand in the air. He couldn't help but smirk.

"Mrs. Snape?"

"It's a mood enhancer," she offered. "It will enhance the mood of the drinker. If he is sad, he'll be even more so. If he is happy he'll be elated. If he is jealous, it will make him crazy with envy."

"Very good Mrs. Snape," he said to her. "Now, you will be brewing this in groups of three because the ingredients are quite costly and the Headmistress refused to increase our potions budget this year."

"Don't just stand there. Brew!" He called to his class.

All of the students walked toward the ingredients cabinet to start their work.

"Glad to have you back," Harry said to her as they walked over.

"Glad to be back," she smiled at him.

"Loads of people have been wondering about you two," Harry noted.

"We weren't ready for the questions," she said.

"And now?" Harry asked.

"We're still not ready for the questions, but at least I don't burst into tears whenever they're asked," she said softly.

"Still in counselling?" He asked.

"Gods, no," she smiled at him. "Although it did force us to actually deal with some stuff."

"Good," he said as he grabbed her elbow and squeezed it. "So, no more trips?"

"No leaving the castle at all, until we know who's behind this," she said as she grabbed her belly.

"What? Are you okay?" Harry asked worried.

"Here," she said as she grabbed Harry's hand and put it on her belly.

"Hermione, I don't think...oh!" he laughed surprised as a kick landed under his hand. "She's strong."

"She does this all the time now," Hermione smiled as Harry kept his hand on her belly waiting for another kick.

"That's amazing," he beamed at her as he felt another kick.

"It is," she smiled at him as she noticed Severus watching her and slyly grinning. "It's pretty amazing."

************************************************** *


	9. Chapter 9

It was a beautiful May day and Hermione Snape felt like crap. She walked around their rooms rubbing the small of her back and groaning. Severus was teaching all afternoon and she needed someone to rub her back. He had been so good about it, and his hands were like music against her skin. He knew exactly how much pressure to apply and where to place his hands so that she got quick relief. She had six weeks to go until her due date and the baby seemed to be putting pressure on every organ in her body and straining her lower back with its weight 24 hours a day.

Her last appointment with the mediwitch was a little troublesome. The baby was big for this stage of development. Weighing in at what looked like about five pounds she was in the head down position and settling in for her birth. The mediwitch warned that this might be a sign she would come early. And, at this moment as her pelvis ached and her back spasmed, Hermione was happy for it. She would feel different, possibly guilty, for those selfish thoughts later today, but right now having the baby outside of her seemed like a good idea.

She waddled through their rooms and toward his private ingredient stores, hoping she could coax him out of his class for a moment to bring her some pain relief.

"Miss Havelworth, please keep a close eye on your brew," he said menacingly. "It's about to bubble over and your partner is going to be wearing..."

There was a small explosion and Hermione jumped back.

"You fool!" He called. "Clean this up at once!"

She turned to walk out of his stores and was just reaching the door to go back to their quarters when she heard her name.

"Hermione?" He asked, confused.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave you to your first years," she said as she turned to face him.

"What are you doing here? Are you okay?" He asked as he approached her.

"My back hurts," she admitted as she sat on a stool. "I was coming to see if you could...but you've got your hands full, I see."

"They're complete imbeciles, the lot of them," he said as he walked toward her and stood behind her on the stool.

"I'm sure they're not that bad," she smiled as she felt his hands make contact with her lower back. Even with her robes on his hands knew where to find the spot.

He started to rub her spine and noted that her shoulders immediately relaxed. "That the spot?"

"Oh, gods yes," she sighed. "Oh, Severus, that's...right there."

His hands continued to work their magic. And she continued to relax under his ministrations.

"Oh, yeah, right there," she said as she fell forward slightly. He braced her shoulders by placing an arm around her.

"There?" He asked into her ear as he tried to hold her frame up.

"Oh, gods, that's it, that's so it..." She said as she leaned into him. "Oh, Severus..."

"Professor Snape!" a young woman yelled as she ran from the room dropping a vial on the floor.

"Oh shite!" He cursed as he pulled Hermione up to sit on her own.

"She can't think that..." Hermione started.

"That's exactly what she does think," he said as he stalked from the room.

"Miss. Havelworth!" He called.

Hermione waddled out of the store room to the shocked faces of his first year potions class. She saw a young girl trying to exit the room and Severus stalking after her.

"Hermione Snape?" Was heard in whispers throughout the room.

"I'm sorry sir," Miss Havelworth said across the room at him as he stood still at the centre. "I didn't know that you and your wife...I'm sorry I walked in on..."

"You walked in on my rubbing her back, nothing more Miss Havelworth," he explained.

"But she was..." Miss Havelworth said confused.

"I was in a lot of pain," Hermione interjected as she waddled up next to her husband. "The baby is big and putting a lot of strain on my back. I was having muscle spasms and...and I shouldn't have interrupted your professor but I needed some help."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Miss Havelworth said to Hermione.

"I'm sorry too," Hermione said softly as she touched Severus's back.

"Everyone, get back to your potions!" Severus said to the class. "Miss Havelworth, you can work with a partner to test the potion."

"I'm sorry Severus," she whispered to him.

"It's fine," he said absently. "Does your back feel better?"

She nodded in the affirmative and quietly left the room.

*************************************************  
"He's an arsehole!" Ginny said to Hermione as she sat down on her bed.

"Ginny, I'm sure that Harry didn't mean that he thought Bernadette was better than you," Hermione said as she patted her knee.

"Well what could he mean?!" She yelled at Hermione.

"He...he just meant that she was a good flyer, that's all," Hermione said softly.

She had been approached by an inconsolable Ginny after Transfiguration and pulled into her room in the Gryffindor Tower.

"I think she wants him," Ginny said as she smacked her pillow. "You should see the way she looks at him Mione!"

"Yeah, but just because she wants him doesn't mean he'd do anything about it Gin," Hermione said as she patted her shoulder.

An hour later, she had finally convinced Ginny that she had nothing to worry about. It was actually surprising to Hermione how insecure Ginny had become. Everything had always seemed too easy between her and Harry.

"I guess appearances can be deceiving," she mumbled to herself as she opened the wards to her rooms.

"Surprise!" A bunch of women yelled as she walked inside.

Hermione looked around to see Minerva, Molly, Poppy, Professor Trelenway,Madam Hooch, Fleur, her mother, Padma, Pavarti, Luna and several other Slytherin girls standing amidst streamers, balloons and a huge Congratulations sign.

"What...?" She asked, confused.

"It's a surprise baby shower!" Ginny said as she walked in behind her.

"Oh my," Hermione said smiling. "Thank you!"

A throng of women walked up to her to welcome her into her transformed rooms.

They took turns hugging her and slowly bringing her into the room.

"I can't believe..." Hermione said, flabbergasted.

"You're not allowed to leave the castle, and most of the attendees are here so..." her mother began.

"So you brought the party to me?" Hermione asked her mother. "Thanks mum."

"I can't believe how huge you are," she said as she felt Hermione's belly. "I mean Severus is a tall man, maybe the baby is quite long."

"She's fat that's for sure!" Hermione said as she hugged her mother. "And getting fatter each day. The mediwitch thinks she'll be about ten pound by the time she arrives."

"Ten pounds! Oh my word!" Minerva said aghast.

"Ginny was eleven, the biggest in my lot," Molly told them all.

"How will you get it out?" Padma asked as she took in Hermione's small frame.

"Let's not go there now, my dears," Poppy said as she coaxed Hermione toward a chair.

"We have some sandwiches, and presents..." Poppy said to her.

"Oh, I don't know what to say..." Hermione said as she took a seat under a banner. "How did you get in here to do all this?"

She looked around at the women, the decorations, the food, the presents and wasn't sure how it all came together.

"Severus let us in when you left for double transfigurations," Madam Hooch explained. "And with a little help from Miss Weasley, you were delayed just enough for us to pull this off."

"You mean you and Harry...?"

"Never better," Ginny grinned at her.

"You are a good little liar Gin!" Hermione laughed at her friend. "And what did you do to Severus? I'm surprised he agreed to this willingly..."

"He thought it was a great idea, honey," her mother said. "He knows you're going a bit stir crazy in the castle."

"I always wondered what his quarters would be like," Padma said as she looked around. "He's got more books than I imagined."

"I thought there would be more green," Maxima noted.

"There's more light than I expected...I thought it would be more modern and severe. But it's downright comfy," Celeste said.

"It must be your feminine touch, my dear," Professor Trelawney noted.

"Actually, I've hardly changed a thing," Hermione said. "Severus has very good taste."

All of the women nodded and looked at her.

Hermione laughed at the comments. Severus was a very private man, and to let all these women and students in here, without either of them around, giving them free reign to snoop if they wished, he must have really wanted this party for her. She would have to thank him later.

"So do you want gifts first or food?" Molly asked her.

"I'm starving," Hermione admitted.

"So, food it is!" Molly clapped her hands and everyone started to take covers off of trays set up in their small kitchen.

"Congratulations, Hermione," Luna said to her as she held out a hand to help her up.

"Thanks Luna," Hermione smiled. "This is quite unexpected."

"I'm sorry, what's this for?" Hermione asked as she held up a contraption with straps.

"It's a sling," Molly said as she took it from Hermione and held it out for everyone to see. "You...well you...Ginny get over here so I can show her!"

Ginny stood and obediently walked over to her mother and waited while Molly threw it over her head, adjusted the straps, so it would drape properly.

"And then you put the baby...Luna pass me that bear," she said as she held out a hand and took the proffered stuffed animal.

"The baby goes in here and you carry her around with you," she said as she prodded Ginny to turn and show everyone.

"Oh, that's great," Hermione said. "I read that baby's relax when they are near a heartbeat, that it's calming for them."

"Also, when they fall asleep you can carry them around with you and not have to put them down; it frees your hands."

"Thank you so much Molly," Hermione said as she stood and hugged her. "I'm sure we'll both use it."

"Professor Snape with a baby in a snuggly?" Pavarti smiled at Hermione.

"Severus wants to be very involved with the baby," Hermione said with a smirk. "Although I can't see him being too enthusiastic about the nappies."

Everyone chuckled.

"Wow, Hermione, you got all kinds of stuff!" Ginny said as she surveyed the room. "You really won't have to get much, will you?"

"Severus is going with a list into Hogsmeade this weekend to get the last things," Hermione said.

"Are you sure that's wise, my dear?" Minerva asked. "Severus tends toward the utilitarian rather than the...fluffy."

"I was actually thinking of asking if you could go with him Molly? I know it's a lot but he might be confused by some things and I can only anticipate so much."

"I'd be glad to, my dear," she said with a smile. "I'll make arrangements with him before I leave today."

"One more thing," Hermione's mom said as she took her daughter's hand and lead her toward her bed chambers. "I had Severus set it up in here so it's ready."

"He set something up for you?" She asked, surprised.

"He used his wand and it only took a few minutes, god, I remember your father slaving for hours..."

She opened the door to their room and showed her daughter her gift.

"Oh, mum!" Hermione sighed as she walked toward the crib.

The crowd of party-goers followed her into the room. Each of them looking curiously at the Snape's most private of rooms. There was a large four poster made of carved dark wood with a simple embroidered duvet and throw pillows on the top, a bank of dark wood wardrobes on one side, a large picture window that looked out onto the lake, a pair of dressers with boxes and personal accessories laying orderly, and finally a lounge chair in the corner with a book laying open on it. Next to the lounge chair was the newest addition. A dark wood baby crib with a stars and moons mobile and baby bedding.

"It's beautiful," Hermione cooed as she ran her hand lovingly along the rails. "And it matches the wood in our room."

"I had Minerva find out from Severus what would be appropriate," her mother said as she touched her daughter's back. "You like it?"

"I love it mom, thanks," Hermione smiled at her mother and gave her a hug.

"It's the least we can do for our grand daughter," her mother said as she hugged her daughter back.

"Have you got a name for her?" Luna asked. "Wizards believe it is good luck to announce the name of your child on a full moon."

"Before or after she's born?" Hermione asked.

"Either, as long as it's a full moon," Madam Hooch said. "We announced our first son's name before he was born and our second after."

"I'll have to remember that," Hermione said.

"So, have you got a name?" Padma asked.

"I'm working on it," Hermione smiled.

"All the revelling is done?" Severus asked as he peered around the corner of their kitchen.

"I'm just packing away some leftovers," she said as she put the lid on the last container away. "Unless you want a pink sandwich?"

"Maybe later," he said as he eyed the container. "Were you surprised?"

"Yes, yes I was," she smiled at him. "And you were in on it."

"I merely gave them a location," he said humbly.

"That was most surprising of all, actually," she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled close. "You let them in here...alone."

"I did," he said as he kissed her forehead.

"And you set up the crib," she smiled up at him.

"You liked it?" He asked. "Your mother thought you would."

"How did that go with her, by the way?"

"She seems to have come around," he said thoughtfully. "She...hugged me."

Hermione laughed at what she was sure was an awkward embrace between Severus and her mother.

"Let's skip dinner tonight," she said softly as she kissed his chin seductively.

"You make that seem like a very attractive option," he said as he lifted his chin so she had better access to his neck.

"Oh, I'm going to make it attractive," she murmured against his sandpaper chin.

"Anyplace," he said as he leaned down and kissed her lips. "Anytime."

She slowly walked him to their bed chambers. He was almost completely stripped of his clothes by the time he got there.


	10. Chapter 10

"I am perfectly capable of gathering these items, Molly," Severus said as they walked through the streets of Diagon Alley. "I'm sure you have other things to do."

"And miss this?" She laughed at him. "I'm sorry Severus but watching you baby shop is going to be the highlight of my month."

"Now, that's just pitiful Molly," he said as he eyed the signs of the shops ahead. "There's the first shop!"

They walked inside and approached the counter.

"I need nappies in two sizes and..." Severus began.

"Charmed or uncharmed?" The clerk asked.

"I'm sorry I don't..." Severus began.

"Charmed," Molly said from behind him.

"Bleached or Unbleached?"

"I would think fewer chemicals..." Severus began.

"Unbleached then," the clerk noted. "What sizes?"

"We need newborn and size 1," Severus said as he looked at his list.

"They are according to poundage," the clerk noted. "How big is the baby?"

"She's only about 6 pound but..."

"My, she's a little one," the clerk noted.

"She's not born yet," Severus said matter-of-factly.

"He'll need one set in the 7-9 pound size and another in the 10-12 pound size," Molly interjected.

"I'll be right back," the clerk said.

He crossed the diaper item off his list and sighed.

"Thank you Molly," he said softly.

"No problem," she said as she patted his shoulder. "Why don't you let me look at the list?"

He handed her the list and looked around the rest of the store.

"Is this a breast pump?" Severus asked as he handed a box.

"Yes, and it's a good one, so put it on the counter," molly said as she looked at the box. "Hopefully she won't need it but, it's always good to have one."

"Why are we hoping she won't need it? What exactly does it do?" He asked as he looked at the sides of the box and saw no instructions.

"You can look at the instructions when you get home," Molly said as she took the box from his hands. "Go pick out some pyjamas for her."

Severus walked over the a display table and started to handle the pyjamas with dismay. "They are made of cotton, Molly. Are there no wool ones?" He asked.

"Wool on a baby? In the warm weather?" Molly asked, shocked.

"So cotton?" He said as he picked one up and looked at it closely. There were bunnies on the feet with ears that stood up. They would suit his little girl. He picked up one in each size. Then he did the same for some yellow ones with stitched lambs and some green ones with stitched frogs. He noted that anatomically they were inaccurate but he hoped his daughter would be too young to notice.

"Good choices Severus," she said as she stood next to him.

He cleared his throat and stood up a little taller.

"They seemed like they had the best stitching," he lied.

"And the cute bunnies had nothing to do with your choice," she smirked as she took the pile from him. She chose some onesies for the baby, some face cloths, and some hats.

He stood at the counter and crossed several more items off his list. The clerk had returned with the diapers and was ringing up his purchases.

"We'll go to Wandrinders next," she said as she helped shrink the purchases. "They have the best selection of bouncers and..."

"Will that finish our list?" Severus asked.

"Most of it," she said as she eyed the parchment.

Severus rolled his eyes. He couldn't wait for this afternoon to be over.

"And why pray tell, would I want to place my newborn in a contraption that may damage her brain with this bouncing action?" Severus asked as he eyed the beige bouncer chair.

"This one plays music according to the child's mood and projects smoky animals into the air in front of her," Molly read the pamphlet aloud and ignored him.

Severus eyed the list in his hand, he was 3 items away from freedom from Molly Weasley, perhaps arguing was uncalled for? He could always buy the items now, and never use them, or return them at a later date once he explained the ludicrousness of them to his wife.

"Fine, take the bloody thing," he said as he looked at his watch. He might just have enough time to...

"Beige or orange?" Molly asked.

"Beige goes with our rooms better," he said as he looked around Wandrinders for the other two items.

"I'll get the clerk to place one at the checkout," Molly said as she walked away from him.

Severus approached the change tables and looked for one in dark wood. He placed his hand on he nearest one and, taking the tag, checked it off his list.

"Oh, you don't want that one," a blonde witch informed him.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"Family Wizarding rated it as the most poorly constructed," she said as she showed him a magazine. "You want the Patronus Brand."

"There's a rating system?" He asked as he leaned over to look more closely at the magazine.

"Of course!" She said as she handed it to him. "Take a look."

Severus eyed the list and realized that he had not chosen the safest bouncy chair, nor was the swing Molly Weasley was handling nearby the 'top pick'. None of these sub-standard devices would do for his daughter.

"Thank you," he said to the witch as he handed her back the magazine.

He took the tag from the best change table, walked over to the bouncy chairs and chose the less flashy but more safe one, and then walked past a chattering Molly Weasley and chose a more expensive, but better quality swing.

"But Severus that one doesn't even move from room to room with the mother..." Molly began.

"Family Wizarding said that it was a safety hazard and I won't place my daughter in any contraption that could harm her," he said as he marched past her to the register and grabbed a Wizarding Family magazine.

Molly followed him with a stunned look as he paid for his items, shrunk them and marched out of the store.

"Thank you for your help Molly but I'm quite good on my own," Severus said as he bowed to her.

"You're headed back to the castle?" Molly asked.

"Yes," he lied.

"If Hermione is not happy with your choices I'd be happy top exchange them for her," Molly offered.

"Thank you," he said as he turned to leave. He walked slowly away, not at his usual pace, hoping when he next turned around she would be gone and he could visit the shop he wanted to without prying eyes.

When he did look, she was nowhere to be found.

Severus rounded a corner and walked into Madam Regina's Wizarding World of Gems.

Two weeks later he found himself being awoken by Hermione for the first time in a while. She was naked, had a leg slung over his pelvis, and was handling one of his nipples with sensuous care. It was surprising because they had not had sex in 3 weeks. Her randy period had come to an abrupt halt and comments about feeling like a haemorrhoidal beached whale had take the place of sexual overtures. He had rubbed her feet, rubbed her back and jerked off in the shower like a good husband.

"Severus," she whispered as she lifted his shirt a little more.

"Hello, " he said softly as he wrapped an arm around her back drawing her nearer.

"I can't sleep," she said softly.

Weeks and months ago this meant definite sex. But, Severus knew that at 36 weeks pregnant that was no longer a guarantee. He tried not to get his hopes up.

"Is it your back? Do you want me to..."

"I want you," she said softly as she leaned, awkwardly, over him and sucked on a nipple.

He breathed a husky breath in and out. Maybe tonight was his lucky night.

"It's been so long," she said softly as she adjusted herself next to him, her pregnant belly weighing heavily on his abdomen.

"It has, my love," he chose not to lie.

"I can't be on my back," she said softly as she shifted against him. "Circulation to the baby."

"Do you want...?" He asked as he pulled her more on top of him.

She smiled down at him and he could see she was happy with his suggestion. He touched her breasts and she winced.

"Sorry," he said genuinely. "I forgot."

"It's okay," she smiled down at him while she shimmied down him further trying to centre herself.

His penis had sprung to life when she worked on his nipples and now was a pulsing force between the two of them as she slid down onto it. She looked relieved, that was the only word that Severus could seem to find to describe the look on her face, when she took him fully inside her.

She rocked gently back and forth and he found himself placing his hands reverently on her swollen belly. He found her ripened condition a huge turn-on. They hadn't discussed further children, deciding that they would see how they did with one before looking into more. So, this might be one of his last chances to see her this way, ever. He was going to take it all in.

"You're beautiful," he said with a smile as he looked up at her.

She smiled down at him with a look that seemed to say 'thanks for the lie.'

"You are you know?" He tried again as she eased off him slightly. "Your hair, your skin, your sexy belly..."

"Sexy?" She laughed.

"Oh, gods yes," he said as he rubbed his hands over it reverently. "I only wish..."

"You only wish what?" She asked as she leaned over him a little more and stopped sliding against him.

"Nothing," he said, regretting the words that had flown out his mouth as his brain made it's way to his southern head.

"Severus," she asked as he watched her eyes start to glisten. "I wish...I wish it were you too. I actually think it is most of the time, until I remember..."

"I will love her Hermione, don't doubt that," he said as he raised himself up on his elbows. "She is my daughter. But when I see you with this belly, I just wish, sometimes, that it was me who made you this way. Who made you look this ripe."

"I know," she said as she leaned forward to kiss him and found that he belly wouldn't allow it. She climbed off of him and lay next to his side, looking into his eyes.

"I love you," she said with certainty as she looked into his eyes. "I know we said...but I want...I want another one. I want a child that is all yours."

"Hermione you don't..."

"I want her, and we'll be a family, the three of us," she said quietly as she touched his cheek. "But four of us will make it complete."

He said nothing, knowing that it really made no difference to him if she bore his biological child or not. He was being childish in his desire.

"I love you if we are a family of 3 or a family of 13," he said as he looked deeply in her eyes. "Let's just see how it goes with this little one."

She smiled at him and kissed his lips before she turned away from him. He wrapped his arms around her and settled into his pillow. That was the end of any action tonight.

She pushed her buttocks against him. She wasn't going to help his erection die down.

"Aren't you going to...?"

"Huh?" He asked, confused.

She rubbed her ass against him again.

"You can enter from there and it puts less pressure on my back," she said as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Spooning, Severus."

"I know spooning Hermione, but I thought maybe you were tired or..."

"Please," she asked as she wiggled against him.

He smiled and reached between the two of them and guided himself into her wet folds. He placed an open palm on her belly and rocked against her.

"Oh god," she moaned as he pushed against her cervix.

He remembered that when they had used this position in the past she had always been very responsive. But, she had not liked it because she hated facing away from him as they made love. Tonight, a belly that weighed a lot turned the tables in favour of this position.

She was tight and squeezing around him with each thrust. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to last long. Her ass was soft and pressed against his loins making him crazy with desire. She continued to moan and pant throwing her head back against him. He took the opportunity to claim her lips and he felt her shudder in his mouth as an orgasm claimed her. She leaned back against him and he thrust two more times before exploding inside of her as he groaned expletives.

"Oh, gods that was..." she whispered.

"I love this position, for both of us," he said as he wiped from curls off her forehead.

She pulled away from him and turned to face him in his embrace.

They lay quietly regaining their breath for a few minutes as she smiled at him and he softly touched her shoulders, arms, collar and neck. Studying her beauty in this moment.

"I have a name for her I want you to consider," she said softly.

"What is it?" He asked, surprised. She had not wanted to discuss names before.

"Tirion," she said with a sly smile.

He swallowed hard and willed his eyes not to well up. He lost the battle.

"After my grandmother," he choked out.

"Yes," she said as her eyes welled up as well. "I did some research in the library."

"You could have just asked," he said as he touched her cheek.

"I wanted to surprise you," she said softly. "Surprise!"

"Tirion Prince, my grandmother, would be honoured to have my child named after her. I would be..." he stopped, unable to continue.

"Then that's her name," Hermione smiled at him as she held his cheek in her hand. "Tirion Snape, it has a certain ring to it."

"Tirion is a Welsh name," Severus explained. "It means gentle and kind."

"Seemed to suit your grandmother, and I'm sure it will suit our girl," Hermione said as she wiped a stray tear off her cheek.

"No middle name? What about after someone in your family?" Severus asked as he wistfully touched her belly.

"All my relatives have idiotic names," she said quietly. "But my mother's family is Spanish and I thought, maybe a Spanish middle name?"

"Mary? Lousia?" He asked.

"Valencia?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "It means brave and strong, two qualities I would like our daughter to also have."

"Tirion Valencia Snape," he said as it rolled off his tongue. "It's lovely."

"I thought so, too," she snuggled up against him.

"Wait, I...uh," he said as he pulled away from her. "I have something for you."

"What?" She asked, surprised.

Severus walked buck naked toward his dresser and pulled out a small box. He returned to their bed and handed her the box.

"When we got married, there wasn't time to really get a proper ring and..."

"I love my ring!" She said as she sat up in bed and held up her hand. The simple white gold band glittered in the moonlight.

"I know, but...in my family, on the Prince side, there's a stone that all the women wear and...and I wanted you to have it too." He said, almost shyly.

She opened the box to find a beautiful white gold ring with a square soft green central stone and small diamonds surrounding it and down the band.

"It's a Peridot," he said as he took the ring from the box and held it up for her to see. "It's semi-precious and part of my family's history. It's not an estate piece, my father sold all of that when my mother died, but it's a stone that goes back generations in my family."

He slid the ring onto her finger and it adjusted magically to her size.

"Severus, I..." she choked as tears ran down her face.

He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.


	11. Chapter 11

Severus Snape rolled from his side onto his back and didn't feel that familiar warmth that was usually in his bed. He opened an eye and looked to his side. She was usually pressed up against him, sometimes even pinning him down to the bed. Tonight, she was gone from it. He glanced at their bedside clock; it was 3:27 am. They had just made love not quite two hours ago and sex usually helped her sleep. He glanced toward the washroom door and noted that his very pregnant wife was not making one of her many nightly trips to the loo. In that instant he panicked.

"Hermione!" He yelled a the top of his lungs as he flew out of their bed. "Hermione!"

"Severus, I'm..." she called back with an odd voice.

He ran to their living room and saw her sitting on their couch holding her stomach. Going to her side he noted that she had thrown on her robe and started the fire despite the warmth of early June.

"What? What is it?" He asked, worry colouring his voice. She looked at though she was about to cry and their was a thin sheen on sweat on her brow.

"They're 10 minutes apart so there's no need to worry," Hermione said as she sat back into the couch.

'What's ten...?" Suddenly her statement brought him a whole new level of awareness.

"But it's only 36 weeks," he said as he looked at her wide eyed.

"Yes, and despite that, she has decided to make her appearance," Hermione said as she cupped his cheek. "I'm just really happy I completed my NEWTs last week."

"You could have written them six months ago and still got the highest score," he said absently as he looked at her. "You look pale."

"I'm a little scared," she admitted as her eyes welled up.

"You'll do great," he said as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Did they just start?"

"It's been about an hour but..."

"An hour?" He asked, dumbfounded. "An hour...why didn't you wake me?"

"I had already woken you up earlier and I thought you could use the sleep," she explained. 'Besides..."

"I can't believe..." he said, sounding incensed. "When did you plan on waking me, when she needed to be burped?!"

"Calm down," she snapped back. "I was going to get you when they were a little closer together, or at sunrise, whatever came first."

"I'm glad I was at least a consideration," he mumbled sounding childish and hating himself for it.

"Don't you dare!" She snapped at him. "I was going to get you, I was just being considerate, you fool!"

He took a deep breath and realized that she was right and he was horribly wrong.

"I'm sorry," he said resigned. "You just worry me, what if something were to happen and I was snoring in the other room?"

"Finally!" She laughed softly.

"Finally, what?" He asked as he carefully studied her for discomfort.

"You admitted that you snore!" she said as she pointed an accusing finger at him.

He found himself laughing with her, more at the absurdity of the moment.

"We should call that mediwitch and..."

"I did already. She should be here any time now. And speaking of consideration...you should probably put on some clothes, for her sake."

Severus looked down at himself as he crouched next to his wife. He was completely naked and sporting an erection. "

"Wise advice," he said as he stood and started to walk from the room. He was just at their bedroom door when he stopped his forward motion.

"Ahhhh!" Hermione groaned loudly. He ran back to her side and put his arm firmly around her shoulder, hoping it worked or helped in some small way.

She rode out the short contraction and then started to breathe more easily again.

"What time was the last one?" He asked when he felt her relax again.

"It was..." Hermione mumbled as she looked at the clock. "They're about 9 minutes apart now."

"Do you want some water...some..." he asked.

A knock came to the door of their quarters.

"Shit," Severus swore as he ran swiftly into their bedroom coming out a minute later with bare feet, half done up pants and pulling a half buttoned white shirt over his head.

He bounded to the door once his arms were in the shirt sleeves and opened it with more flourish than intended.

"Mediwitch...mediwitch..." he stammered, faltering over her name.

"Danica," she smiled back at him.

"Danica, sorry," he apologized as he ushered her into the room.

"No problem professor, you have a lot on your mind right now," she said sweetly.

"Hi Danica," Hermione called from the living room. "Please come in."

The mediwitch walked into their living room and spotted a glowing Hermione Snape sitting on the couch holding her belly and looking terrified.

"How are you feeling?" Danica asked as she approached the pale woman.

Just then there was another knock at their door. Severus walked to it and undid the wards he had just re-raised. He opened the door to find Poppy Pomfey standing on the other side looking as if she was about to burst.

"It's time, is it?" She asked gleefully. "A baby at Hogwarts!"

She pushed past him before he could reply and made her way directly to Hermione and Danica.

Severus shut the door and re-warded it again before he followed her back to the living room.

"...have to break it myself if it doesn't go on its own," Danica finished as he re-entered.

"Okay," Hermione nodded looking aghast.

"You're only 36 weeks and we usually like to see them got to at least 37 because of lung development, but she's a big baby so it could be that she's already expanded her lungs," Danica continued. "I would still like to give her a mild steroid to expand them before birth, just in case."

'Will it hurt her?" Hermione asked.

"No, it can't hurt her," Danica explained.

"Okay," Hermione nodded.

"So, you're water didn't break but you went into labour. Were you engaged in any activities that would bring on early labour? Stress? Exertion? Sex?"

Hermione's face reddened suddenly.

"Sex?" Danica asked.

Hermione and Severus nodded. In that moment he felt like a kid caught with his hand in a candy jar.

"Severus!" Poppy elbowed him in the gut.

"Poppy!" He retorted.

"It was me, not him," Hermione explained. "He was sleeping when I woke him up."

"How long after sex did the contractions start?" Danica asked.

"Not quite an...," Hermione started to explain before she was overcome by a contraction.

Danica rubbed her back and told Hermione to stop holding her breath.

"Nine minutes,"Severus provided as he looked at their clock.

Poppy handed her a glass of water after she settled back into the couch.

"An hour later," Hermione finished.

Severus walked to the cupboard, grabbed a face cloth and wet it in their kitchen sink before returning to her side and holding it to her forehead.

"I'm going to have to do an internal and see how much you've dilated," Danica explained. "We'll need to re-locate to your bedroom."

"Sure," Hermione said as she tried to get up. Severus leaned down and helped her rise, walking with her toward their bedroom.

"Do a cleansing charm on the sheets," she whispered to him as they walked slowly into the room.

"I have to get my wand, first," he whispered back.

"Go!" She whispered as she released his arm.

Severus walked toward the nightstand, grabbed his wand and performed a quick cleansing spell on the bed behind Danica's back. He wasn't sure why Hermione was so concerned, she and Poppy knew they'd had sex tonight. The mediwitch would also see the evidence of their coupling when she examined Hermione. But it seemed to make Hermione happy; she smiled at him across the bed before she lowered herself onto the mattress.

Severus went to her side of the bed and paced back and forth as Danica got Hermione into position and checked her dilation.

"You're about 6 centimetres dilated, which is good, but you're contractions aren't as close as they should be," Danica explained. "Once your water breaks they'll speed up."

"Ok, shit..." Hermione said as another contraction rolled over her.

"Eight minutes," Severus said as she let her grip his hand tightly.

Everyone waited for the contraction to pass before speaking again.

"I'd like to scrap the lining a little, speed up your water breaking so labour isn't prolonged," Danica explained.

"It's a commonly performed procedure," Poppy explained.

"What does it involve?" Severus asked.

"I take a small tool and pull away some of the tissue, weakening the cervical opening and helping to induce her Amniotic fluid to expel from her," Danica explained. "It feels awkward and uncomfortable, but not painful and it doesn't hurt the baby."

Severus looked at Hermione, it was completely her choice.

"Okay," she said as she bit her lower lip.

He sat down on the bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Danica pulled a metal tool out of her bag and cast a sterilization spell on it. She asked Hermione to relax and then placed the tool inside of her and began to scrap away at the tissue.

Hermione tried not to squirm but it was a horribly uncomfortable feeling. She pushed her body into Severus' and looked out the window, hoping it would be done soon. Then, she felt a tightening in her belly.

"Danica..." she started but then stopped as a contraction overtook her. It was a strong one and there seemed to be a feeling of release at the end. When she came back to herself she felt horribly wet. She touched the bed beside her ass and was mortified.

"I wet myself," she said humiliated as she looked up at Severus.

"No my dear," he said with a smile. "You just broke your water."


	12. Chapter 12

"Ahhh!" Hermione moaned as she stopped and leaned against her husband.

"You're doing great," he said encouragingly as he took her weight and rubbed her back.

"It feels like she's trying to push through my ass," Hermione winced.

"Is this...is this normal?" Severus asked Poppy as he wiped some hair from her eyes.

"In labour, there's a whole range of normal," Poppy said as she brought a glass of water to Hermione's lips.

It had been 4 hours and Hermione's contractions had slowly got closer together and more extreme. In the beginning she could carry on regular conversations in between contractions. She had walked around freely, stopping when a contraction hit and then continuing about her journey. Now, she was walking with Severus at all times; he feared she would collapse it he wasn't nearby to catch her. Her breathing had become more erratic, her mood less compliant, and her pain more severe.

"What time is it?" Severus asked Mediwitch Danica.

"It's 7:43 am and they are 4 minutes apart," she answered from her spot on a chair.

"Does Minerva know? My classes..." He asked as he started to step away from Hermione.

"You. Are. Not. Teaching. Today," Hermione said furiously as she gripped his arm.

"Of course not!" He retorted. "I wanted to make sure someone had posted a sign cancelling them."

"Oh," Hermione said softly. She was sorry for her assumption but couldn't bring herself to apologize.

He wanted to point that out, but felt that in these circumstances her lack of apology should be overlooked.

"You should try some of this broth I made," Danica said as she rose from her seat and walked toward the stove. "It'll fortify you."

"Fine, I'll..." Hermione conceded before another contraction took hold. She snapped onto Severus' arm like a vice grip and squatted down slightly bringing him with her. "Oh my fucking god!"

"What? Is it worse? Is there...?" Severus panicked as he looked at her pain-streaked face.

"Maybe I should check your dilation," Danica suggested as she placed a bowl on the table. "You eat Severus and I'll walk Hermione to the bedroom."

"No, I'm fine, I'll..." he began before Danica pushed him away from Hermione slightly.

"Just eat the soup Severus," Hermione said softly as she allowed herself to be led away. "You'll be cranky otherwise."

"I don't think I'm being cranky," he mumbled under his breath.

"Don't!" Poppy cautioned him. "A woman in labour is not to be trifled with!"

He watched Hermione being led to their bedroom by Danica with Poppy trailing after them and then looked at his bowl of soup. Before he ate, he had to post some cancellation signs for his classes.

"Cancelled?" Harry asked as he looked at the sign.

"She's in labour," Maxima said as she walked up behind Harry.

"Who's in...? Hermione? She's not due until the start of July, after graduation and..."

"Well, she's due today from the sounds of it," Celeste confirmed. "I thought you'd know."

"How do you two know?" Harry asked.

"We passed him as he was coming to post the sign," Maxima explained. "It was just before his first year potions class, she's been in labour all morning."

Harry looked at his watch, it was almost 10 am. "Did he say anything?"

"He looked out of sorts," Celeste said as she looked around to make sure no one else could hear. "He was barefoot and he just had on a white shirt and black pants, no robes. He walked right past us without even noticing us, used his wand to put up the cancellation notice and then took off back to his quarters."

"So, how do you know she's in labour?" Harry asked, confused.

"We asked why class was cancelled," Celeste explained. "He mumbled that the baby was coming and that Hermione had been in labour since the early hours of morning. We told him to give her our best but we don't think he even heard us."

"I've gotta get Ron," Harry said as he took off down the hall.

Maxima looked at Celeste. "Do you think they'll be any help?"

Celeste twisted her head in the negative and they walked away from their potions classroom.


	13. Chapter 13

"What the devil is going on?" Severus asked as he craned his neck to see who Poppy was talking to.

"It's Harry and Ron, they want to see Hermione," Poppy called back from the door to their chambers.

"Tell them to sod off!" he called back as he watched his wife's hand start to grip the chair in front of her in preparation for the next contraction.

"I..I want to see them," she said through pants as she swatted at his stomach.

"But, Hermione, you don't need..." he started.

"Let them in!" She yelled just before a contraction overtook her.

She squatted low and yelled as Severus squatted with her supporting her weight by holding her under her armpits.

"Holy shit, Mione!" Harry said as he walked into their living room and saw her start to rise, the contraction ending. 'What can we...?"

"God, Mione," Ron winced from behind Harry.

"Harry, you can take over for Severus," she said as she stood fully and grasped the chair before her again.

"But, I..." Severus started to stammer.

"Please," she implored him as she looked into his eyes.

He stepped away from her and made room for Harry in the spot he once had stood. He felt like a schoolboy, unduly dismissed for something he had not done. He was supposed to be with his wife, helping her. Why did she prefer her friend over him? Then, remembering that Poppy had said labouring women were not to be trifled with, he held his tongue.

"Severus, can you help me prepare the bedroom?" Danica asked the lost man standing in the middle of the room.

"Uh, sure," he faltered as he left his wife's side and followed the mediwitch into their bedroom with Poppy.

"Harry, I'm so scared," she said through tears as soon as they were left alone. "This is so hard and what do I know about...about babies? I'm so young and Severus...he..he has so much faith in me. What if I disappoint him?"

Harry chuckled as he felt her lean into his chest. "Mione, if you brewed a potion as crap as Neville's, that man would still say it was brilliant. He loves you and you'd never disappoint him."

She wiped some stray tears from her cheeks.

"And as for the baby, you're going to be a great mom and...and there are books you can read and...and you are going to have all of us helping you, right Ron?"

"Right, Mione," Ron agreed. "I can totally do the magical diapers."

"Thanks Ron," she chuckled.

"See?" Harry said as he tucked some hair behind her ear.

"I want to ask you to be her godfather Harry," she said suddenly serious. "I read that if you're there at her birth that there are magical bonds and...and will you do it?"

"Oh, Mione, I'd be honoured," Harry smiled down at her.

"You can have the next one Ron," she said as she looked at her other friend.

"You're going to do this again?" Ron asked, flabbergasted.

She nodded, not completely sure of herself. "Think of your own mum, going through this over and over again."

"Makes my mother's day gift seem real crap," Ron admonished himself.

All three friends were laughing when Severus re-entered the room. Part of him was happy to see her in a better mood, and another part of him was upset her friends had done what he could not.

"Love," Hermione called as she noticed him. "Harry agreed to be godfather and he'll attend the birth."

Severus couldn't stop the smile that made its way across his face. She had sent him away so she could ask Potter, not because she was sick of his presence.

"Wonderful, thank you," Severus said as he extended a hand to Harry and they shook.

"Thank you for the honour," Harry said in return.

"Danica said it's time," Severus said softly as he looked into her eyes.

Hermione closed her and took a step towards her husband, opening her eyes when her belly rubbed up against him.

"I love you," she said softly as she slowly ran a hand down the side of his face.

He leaned into her ministration and closed his eyes. "And I, you."

She allowed him to kiss her softly on the lips before being led into their bedroom.

"I'll come and get you when she'd born, mate!" Harry called to his friend as he followed them inside.


	14. Chapter 14

"Any word yet?" Dolores Umbridge asked as her cohort entered the room.

"She's not back so it still must be in progress," he answered as he walked toward her to take the drink offered.

"We're going to have to re-think our plans now that she's coming early," Dolores said as she took a seat. Her companion followed suit.

"Snape really screwed things up for us," the man said with disdain.

"If he hadn't have married her, she's be living with her muggle parents and we could have taken her whenever we wanted without issue," Dolores said thoughtfully. "I thought she wasn't involved with anyone, before."

"We didn't find any evidence," the man explained. "We didn't know she was being diddled by her professor."

"With all the students and professors still present...it will make it difficult to harvest the baby," Dolores said as she gently stroked the kitten knick knack on her side table.

"What do you need from me?" the man asked.

"Go back to the hospital and let me know when she returns," Dolores said as she stood to bid him farewell. "I need to figure out a plan now that the dates have changed."

The man walked from the room and Dolores starred at the knick knack in her hand. She had to figure out a way to get that baby.

"Hermione don't hold your breath!" Danica said as she watched her charge turn purple.

"I can't...I can't," Hermione whimpered. "I just...can't"

"Its okay love, take a break," Severus said to her as he kissed her temple.

He looked toward Danica and she nodded her head in the negative. They had discussed that a surgical delivery might be the only option, given Hermione's small frame and the size of the baby.

"Do you want a c-section?" Severus asked, already knowing the answer.

"No!" She shouted.

"What can I...what do I need to do to help you?" He asked, overwhelmed.

She noted that the rest of the room had gone about their business. Danica was drinking water from a proffered glass held by Poppy. Harry was pacing in the corner of the room trying to avoid looking at the horror of birth.

"I have no strength left...I can't hold myself up and my legs and push her through the pain...I feel like this is going nowhere Severus...that it'll never end," she cried to him.

He stood and thought for a moment.

"Potter, come here!" He called. "Hold her hand and do whatever she requires of you."

He marched toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Hermione called just as another contraction took hold of her. She gripped Harry's like her life depended on it and he spoke softly to her as she let up.

He came back into the room and without another word used his wand to shorten the bed she was on and tilt it slightly towards Danica.

"Severus, what...?" Danica asked as she watched him get onto the bed next to Hermione and remove pillow after pillow, placing himself behind her instead, legs on either side.

He ignored her and spoke to just Hermione. "You use me. You push back against me, however hard you need to. I'll hold your legs and you just concentrate on getting our little girl out to meet everyone. I'll give you strength."

She turned and kissed his lips. "I love you."

Another contraction hit and she sat up with Severus behind her. She grunted through it as she placed all of her weight on Severus and he held her legs. She released herself and relaxed back against his chest, heaving great breaths as she did.

Contraction after contraction followed. Harry held her hand for all he was worth and Severus murmured soft words of encouragement in her ear. Hermione continued to sweat and moan and grunt through each painful push as her daughter got nearer and nearer to her.

"Stop pushing!" Danica called to her as Hermione winced and leaned back against Severus' chest. Her daughter slipped from her and into the waiting hands of Danica.

"She's perfect!" Danica exclaimed as she held the whimpering child up. The red and squirming child let out a wail as she was hoisted farther into the air.

"She's...she's beautiful," Hermione cried. 'Severus look!"

Severus looked at their daughter and his heart swelled with love. "She's gorgeous like her mother."

He kissed the side of her face and took the weight of her as she fell against his body, boneless.

They laughed as their daughter squirmed and protested as a blanket was wrapped around her by Poppy. Hermione cried harder as they little child was handed to her.

"You're such a brave, brave little one," she cooed as she kissed the top of her head.

Severus palmed the top of his daughter's head and smiled.

"She looks just like you, dad," Harry said as he leaned over the wailing baby and touched her cheek.

Like many babies theirs had jet black hair.

Hermione cried a little harder. Everyone assumed it was hormones.

"My family," Severus said as he wrapped his arms around Hermione and their daughter.

She turned and kissed him on the lips.

"I love you so much," she said as she cradled their daughter.


	15. Chapter 15

"She's brilliant, look at her grip my hand," Hermione cooed as Severus placed a cup of tea on her bedside table.

"She has to be, she's your daughter," Severus said as he smiled down at her as she reclined on the bed with their daughter breastfeeding.

"It still hurts a little," she said as she adjusted herself a little.

"Maybe we didn't practice enough beforehand," Severus said as he settled into the bed on the other side of their child, his arm going around his wife.

"Only you could make this about nipple action," she chided him.

"I'm just saying..." he said with a sly voice.

She swatted at him as their daughter popped off her nipple, half-asleep with milk running down her chin.

"Allow me," he said as he reached for her and hoisted her gently over his shoulder. He rose from the bed and started to walk around the room gently patting her back.

It had been 4 days since Tirion had been born and finally the well-wishers had subsided. They had not slept much, he had been happy that NEWTS were in progress and work needed little of his attention. She had settled nicely into breastfeeding and Hermione had been healing well from the trauma of the birth.

"I am astounded each time you hold her, how tiny she is," Hermione said as she reached for a magical camera and took some candid pictures of Severus and their daughter. He was walking her around their room shirtless in his loose cobalt grey pyjama bottoms. Their little daughter in pink jammies curled up against his chest.

"Stop with the snaps, I look like crap," he chided her as he turned his back to the camera.

"You look like a proud father," Hermione corrected him.

"I look like an exhausted father," he corrected her.

"Shit, we both are," she said as she moved to take a drink from her tea and winced from the effort.

"Go to sleep," Severus said as he continued to bob and pat. "I'll deal with the queen before she pulls her chair back up to the buffet."

"Thanks," Hermione sighed as she carefully lowered herself under the covers. "She'll want to eat in about two hours so..."

"Just sleep," Severus said softly as he walked toward the door. "We have to have an important engagement that you are not invited to."

"What...?"

"Nox!" Severus called as she shut the door behind him.

He walked into the living room and continued to bob and pat until two burps that were way too loud for such a tiny person came from her body followed by a loud fart.

"That's my girl," he smiled down at her before he sat down on the couch, his knees raised to accommodate her on his lap. He sat and looked at her drowsy form in front of him for quite some time. He hadn't been alone, really alone, with her before now. Sure he had changed her, held her, cuddled her, burped her, slept with her on his chest, but never had they really been alone like this. Her head was held upright by the space between his legs and she looked at him with her dark black eyes.

"With your hair and your eyes..." he said softly. "You really could be mine."

He paused to look at her as she yawned.

"You are mine though, aren't you?" He said softly as he touched her cheek. "In the way that counts, you are mine."

In the days that had passed everyone who had come to offer their congratulations had commented that she was the spitting image of her father. Hermione had shifted uncomfortably each time. She wanted it as bad as he did, but they both knew the truth. He read in one of the many pregnancy journals she had lying around their quarters, that newborns inherently look like their father at birth so the male doesn't kill it. The idea that a modern man would kill his own child was absurd, but the theory went back to early man.

Tirion's naming ceremony was tonight when the full moon was out and Hermione needed to get a few hours sleep before then. She also needed, if she wanted to walk outside for the ceremony, some more salve for her nether regions which were still healing.

"Come on miss," he said as he rose from his seat. "We are taking a field trip."

He walked across the room and just as he reached the door realized the state of his dress, or undress as it was. He accio'd a pair of black trousers, white shirt and robe from the living room wardrobe and laid Tirion on the couch as he put the clothing on. She immediately started to scream. Quickly shoving his feet in his pants he tried to get her attention as he did up the shirt.

"Its okay, it's okay," he cooed as he tried to dress as quickly as possible. "Shhhhh."

She continued to scream.

He picked her up as he did up his robes with one hand and realized that carrying his daughter and going to his potions stores was going to be a challenge. He bobbed her and cooed until the screaming subsided and she curled into him content.

He glanced around the room and located the carry-all Hermione had had him wear yesterday. He couldn't admit it at the time, but he did like having his hands free while she lolled off to sleep on his chest.


	16. Chapter 16

Severus felt ridiculous. But he wanted no one else to think that, so he billowed down the hallway as usual, daring anyone to say a word to him with his stern countenance. Tirion was safely asleep in her carry-all strapped to his chest and was oblivious to her surroundings. All she needed was a familiar smell and a strong heartbeat to make her content. He supplied both as he walked from his stores to the infirmary.

Damn Madam Pomfey for taking the last of his Camomile Salve a month previous to heal some idiot that had infected a wound! Now he had to not just walk a barren corridor to his stores, but across the castle to the infirmary with Tirion. Hermione did need the salve though and he knew she had run out. She wouldn't be able to walk properly to Tirion's naming ceremony if she didn't have more to numb the region from whence the child came.

He watched the shocked faces of his students as they exited the Great Hall after dinner, surprised to see him and even more so when they realized his daughter was in tow.

"Is that your wee little girl, Professor?" Luna Lovegood asked as she approached him from the left.

"Yes," Severus said as he tried to walk past her.

"She's asleep?" Luna asked as she tried to peek at his daughter.

"Is there a point Miss Lovegood?" Severus asked as he was blocked by her.

"No," Luna said wistfully. "Just that she seems quite content with you."

"Why wouldn't she? I'm her father," Severus snapped at the annoying girl.

"It's just that babies are very particular about who they trust," Luna continued.

"And?" Severus asked, wondering if it was just sleep deprivation that was keeping him in this pointless conversation.

"She knows you're her dad, it's not biological, it's emotional," Luna said softly. "Biology can't stand in the way of that."

"Why would biology...?" Severus asked, annoyed and slightly concerned.

"Her other dad might be the one who helped make her, but you are going to be the one to give her life," Luna whispered to him.

"Excuse me?!" He asked sharply, causing Tirion to stir slightly. "What are you...how could you...?"

"She has a different feel to her than you," Luna explained. "I can't quite place it but..."

"I don't know what you're talking about Miss Lovegood," he said as he shoved her, somewhat forcefully, to the side and walked past. He made his way absently to an empty classroom and tried to quell his anxiety.

Severus felt Tirion's legs start to kick and he grasped onto her tiny foot to give her comfort. His heart was racing in his chest and his mind was reeling. If that idiot Lovegood could see it, who else could? What kind of danger was his family in? Who was Tirion's father?"

"I am," he said aloud to himself, as if to bring home the point.

He looked down at his sweet daughter and sighed. He palmed her soft downy black hair and leaned heavily against a desk.

"I won't let anything happen to you my girl," he said softly. "I'll keep you safe."

He closed his eyes for a moment, took one last breath, pulled himself together and walked toward the infirmary. His wife needed medication.

"Please join me in completing the circle," Minerva explained as the ceremony continued.

It was a clear, cloudless June night and the stars were out in clumps around the sky. Hermione shifted their daughter in her arms as their friends and family closed in around them forming a circle with their hands. Severus stood next to her, avoiding the eyes of the group as he stood with his arm around his wife.

"What bloodline does this child come from?" Minerva asked as she waved her wand over their daughter and blue smoke formed over her head.

"Snape," Severus said loudly, his eyes betraying him as they darted toward the Lovegood girl. She smiled at him dumbly.

"What given names do you bestow upon her?" Minerva asked as she waved her wand and yellow wispy strings appeared in the air circling their daughter.

"Tirion Valencia," Hermione said with a smile.

"What magical meaning do they place on her?" Minerva asked as the blue haze melded to the yellow wisps and a green ghost-like blanket formed around Tirion.

"She will be both gentle and brave," Severus said as he touched Tirion's forehead with the pad of his thumb and murmured a soft incantation. A golden glow erupted momentarily on Tirion's forehead where his thumb had been and then it disappeared.

"What magical charms do you place on her as her godfather?" Minerva asked Harry.

"Love and Protection," Harry said as he waved his wand above the baby and runes formed on the wispy blanket that hovered above Tirion.

"On this night of the full moon we bestow this magical child with the name Tirion Valencia Snape. She will be both gentle and brave, loved by all who surround her, protected by all who surround her. Welcome, child"

"Welcome!" The circle chanted after Minerva.

The magical blanket fell from the air, wrapped its wispy self around Tirion, closed in tight around her and then fell through her skin. Hermione leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek.

The circle broke and all the well-wishers closed in on the family.

"Thank you," Severus said to Harry as he held out his hand.

"You're welcome," Harry said a little taken aback by the gesture as he shook Severus' hand. They had not discussed the magical charms, as was tradition; obviously Harry had chosen ones that met with the father's approval.

Severus went to step back from Hermione, allowing her to deal with the on slot of people wanting to hold the baby but she grabbed his sleeve before he could move. He looked at her surprised.

She smiled at him and kissed him softly on the cheek. He had never had such a public display of affection in front of so many people. Severus couldn't help the embarrassed blush that rose up his cheek; he attributed the weakness to exhaustion. But, when he returned her kiss with a chaste one on her lips, he realized he would never be able to explain that one away.


	17. Chapter 17

Hermione stood at the front with the Head Boy and walked all of the graduates into the Great Hall happy that this moment wasn't taken away from her. She saw Severus on the stage with the other professor's and other special guests watching the procession. He wasn't smiling, that wouldn't be him if he was. She could tell he was proud though from the look on his face and that was enough for her. She would be working as an apprentice with Professor Sinistra starting in the fall so, regardless of graduation, her education would continue.

Hermione had some duties that were part of the ceremony. She and the Head Boy were to handle the magical diplomas passing them to Headmistress McGonagall so she could congratulate each graduate. It was in the middle of the K's that Hermione heard her daughter start to cry. The diplomas she was in charge of faltered and she caught them just before they fell. She felt her nipples start to leak milk and cast a charm quickly over her breasts halting the leaking milk. Tirion continued to wail and Hermione looked at her mother nervously bouncing the baby in her arms. She had confessed to Hermione two months ago that she hadn't liked taking care of her as a baby; that she wasn't particularly good at it. She had been relieved when Hermione had started to walk and talk.

McGonagall continued to hand out diplomas as Tirion wailed in the Great Hall, her newborn lungs exercising their full potential. People started to turn and look at her mother, her mother's face grew red with embarrassment. Hermione dropped a diploma as it floated before her.

"Sorry," she apologized to Headmistress McGonagall and Luna Lovegood, the recipient.

"Its okay, the professor will take care of her," Luna whispered to her.

Hermione turned and saw her husband walking toward their wailing child having exited from the side of the stage. All eyes were on him; he knew it too. He reached her parents and stretched out his hands asking to take Tirion from her mother. Hermione's mother gladly relinquished the wailing child and Severus brought her up to his chest, kissed the top of her head and whispered something to her. Tirion quieted almost immediately. Hermione let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Severus walked with their daughter to the side of the stage and went back to his seat; their daughter in tow. There was no more crying for the remainder of the ceremony. Hermione finished her duties, accepted her diploma and went to her seat. From the looks of Tirion on the stage, she was asleep on Severus' chest.

At the celebration afterwards Hermione was surrounded by well-wishers and looked around desperately for her husband and child. Tirion was only 3 weeks old and still breast-fed every few hours. From the feel of her heavy breasts Hermione surmised, without even looking at a clock, that it was chow time. She spotted them across the room as Severus made his way toward her, Tirion had started to fuss.

"The queen is hungry," Severus said as he approached her.

"Come with me darling," Hermione smiled as she took Tirion from him. "I'll take her to our rooms and be back in a few."

"I could join..." Severus started.

"You have duties, professor," she reminded him with a look; knowing his anti-social nature was coming to the forefront.

"Fine," he huffed.

"Oh, there you are dear!" Her mother called to her.

"Mum, I'm just going to feed Tirion and..."

"I'll come with you," her mother said as she patted the baby's back. "It'll give us a chance to talk."

"Sure mum, come on," Hermione said with a smile as they started to walk away.

"And so what happens after the apprenticeship?" Her mother asked as she watched her daughter feed her grand-daughter.

"I...I was thinking maybe another baby then," Hermione said as she avoided her mother's eyes.

"Another? So soon?" her mother asked, surprised. "Is Severus...?"

"No, it's not him mum," Hermione said softly. "I want another and I don't want them to be too far apart. The apprenticeship will be two years and...and by then it'll be time. It'll also be a good time for a break before I figure out my next step."

"Sweetie, with two children...well, the next step may be years away and..."

"Mum, I know it won't be easy but...but we'll figure it out," Hermione said as she watched her daughter finish feeding. "Okay?"

"Okay, honey," her mother said as she reached for the sleepy baby. "I'll burp her and you change."

"Change?" Hermione asked.

"You leaked on your clothes and...it's not really visible but it won't be comfortable and..."

"Shit, you're right," Hermione said as she looked down at herself. "Do you think anyone else...?"

"No sweetie, most of it probably happened as we walked here," her mother said as she patted Tirion's back.

Hermione left her and threw her robes on the bed as she searched for another blouse that would go with her cream coloured skirt. Suddenly the door to their bedroom slammed shut. Hermione turned and looked at it; curious.

"Mum?" She called. "Mum?"

She went and tried the handle and it wouldn't turn. She heard a thud on the other side of the door. Tirion had started to wail.

"Mum?!" She called, panic in her voice. "Mum!"

The handle wouldn't move, she grabbed her wand and cast an Alohorma spell to no avail, the whole time yelling for her mother and her child. She cast spell after spell and nothing would budge the door. She heard the door to their rooms slam shut and Tirion's scream grow quieter and quieter. Quickly she cast her Patronus sending it to Severus for help. She banged on the door, tried everything to get out but strong magic was preventing her every move.

"Tirion! Tirion!" She screamed.

It seemed like centuries passed before Severus turned up but she knew it was only a matter of minutes. She heard him slam the door open and call to her and Tirion.

"Severus! In here! Where's Tirion?" Hermione screamed desperation in her voice. "Get her!"

"Are you okay?" he yelled back quickly.

"Yes! Someone's taken her!" Hermione yelled back, tears streaking her face. "I don't know who! Find our baby!"

She heard nothing else for a few moments but his heavy footfalls run from the room. Then, thirty seconds later an alarm sounded all over Hogwarts.


	18. Chapter 18

The entire castle had been searched, all of the grounds, every last nook and cranny and there was no sign of Tirion. It had been three hours since she had been taken and finally McGonagall ordered the alarm halted. The quiet that fell over the place was eerie.

"Harry is cross-referencing the guests we've been...detaining with the list at hand," McGonagall said as she held Severus' arm to keep him from pacing.

"The magical signatures. Has...?" Hermione asked as she reached for Severus' hand.

"Flitwick should be coming in with his report any minute." Severus answered her as he squeezed her hand.

He looked down at Hermione's face and saw the dried tears. She was trying to be helpful, needing to be brave, and wanting to crumble. He brushed her cheek with his free hand and caught her eyes with his own.

"We'll find her." He said with no hesitation.

She gulped hard and fought more tears that threatened to fall. In some ways she felt numb, as if the situation hadn't hit her yet. For three hours they had been working on autopilot. Severus barking orders to detain all attendees, put up the emergency barriers, search the halls, classroom, quarters...

Hermione had pushed through on adrenaline, running from floor to floor searching for her child with him and the others, hoping to hear Tirion wailing somewhere in the castle. The whole time not wanting to think about her child being taken.

The door to McGonagall's office flew open and Flitwick ran inside.

"There's a non-traceable magical signature of a man and a child apparating from the edge of Hogsmeade twenty minutes after the baby went missing."

"How could you trace it if...?" Hermione started to ask.

"All children's signatures are recorded. It's to deal with kidnappings and custody issues, but it's non-traceable because he, knowing this, somehow blocked his destination."

"How can he?" Severus asked.

"Only the Ministry grants these permissions, so...I don't know how." Flitwick explained. "But there should be some paperwork."

"It would have to be registered to be granted," Minerva said with a smile. "I'll go to the Ministry myself and find out."

"Someone registered to kidnap my baby?!" Hermione snapped as she jumped up next to Severus.

"No, probably under false pretences, but there should be something..." Flitwick explained.

"You'll go Minerva?" Severus asked as he wrapped an arm around his wife.

"I will my boy, and I'll get those answers you need," She said as she marched from her office. "Alert me if there is a change."

"At least it's something..." Flitwick said as he looked at the lost parents gripping onto each other across the room.

"Why won't she bloody stop crying?" Dolores asked, frustrated, as she tried to rock the baby in her arms.

"She hasn't stopped since I took her," Marius said as he paced in the corner of the room. "Maybe we should get that nanny you had..."

"She's going to meet up with us in Gibraltar," Dolores explained. "But we have to not raise any alarms for a few weeks. We'll be staying here Marius, and you will have to help."

"You wanted her, I just..."

"I know what your contribution was. She's going to be with us for a long time Marius, you better learn to change a nappy," Dolores said as she handed the child over to her son.

"Must be the mudblood in her," Marius said with disdain.

"It didn't work with any of the pure-bloods or half-bloods so we had to...taint the pool a little," Dolores said as she eyed the child. "But with the proper upbringing I don't doubt she'll do just fine."

"Mother, I still don't see..."

"And you never will Marius!" Dolores snapped. "Go and be useful for once!"

Marius carried the child at arm's length from the room, his whole body rigid.

"Now if she'd only take a bottle..." Dolores mumbled to herself.

Hermione sat in their rooms in her drenched robes crying. Her nipples had started to leak, her breasts had become hard as rocks, and they begged to be relieved. It had been almost 5 hours since she had last fed Tirion. All she could think of was her starving baby who had needed her mother to feed her. She'd been inconsolable as her own mother had tried to reason with her while holding a breast pump for her to take. Severus marched into their rooms having been called by his distressed mother-in-law.

"Please leave us," he said softly as he took in the sight of his wife before him.

He didn't take his eyes off his wife, but didn't move to comfort her until he heard the front door shut with a soft click.

"My love," he said softly as he kneeled before her and took her in his arms.

Hermione sobbed and pulled at his robes. "She's starving Severus...she's got no one to feed her...what if they are mistreating her and..."

"I'm sure she's been fed and no one would take her to mistreat her," he said the words almost believably. "But you need to relieve your breasts to avoid infection. She'll need you to feed her again soon-just not this time. Can I help you?"

She wiped her nose on his shoulder and nodded slightly. He pulled away and took the contraption off the table and looked at it for a moment before discerning how it worked. He unbuttoned her robes as she sat still and dazed on the chair. He attached suction gently onto her right nipple, attached the bottle to the base and turned on the power. Milk was pulled from her nipple and slowly filled the attached bottle. Hermione began to cry harder. He rose off the floor, climbed onto the chair behind her and pulled her back against him as his thighs sat next to her hips.

"Shhhh," he said softly as he patted her hair.

He let a few tears escape his eyes for the first time that day. She couldn't see him breaking down and he wanted to keep it that way. He needed to be strong for both of them.

Hermione lay listlessly against him while the milk was tapped from her body and her daughter lay hungry somewhere unknown.


	19. Chapter 19

She had not eaten in 24 hours and Dolores was beginning to get concerned. The stupid child would not take a bottle no matter how hungry she became and her screaming had only ceased for a few short hours in the middle of the night while she slept. The skin around the child's eyes was raw from tears, her colour was drained, and her voice horse. But still she persisted.

"Take the damn bottle you insolent brat!" Dolores snapped at the baby who had not taken more than a few sucks from the bottle the last day. Each time she latched on Dolores found her hopes raised, only to be dashed moments later when she refused the nipple and wailed anew.

"Merlin mother, let's just give her back and cut our losses, her temperament is obviously mudblood in nature and..." Marius began from across the room.

"No!" Dolores shouted as she got up from her chair with Tirion tucked into the crook of her arm. "After all the lost babies, and all out subterfuge, I will not give up now that we finally have her!"

"What we have mother, is a burden, a stone around out necks, a..." Marius explained.

"What we have Marius is the key to your inheritance and our future," Dolores explained to him, the exhaustion apparent in her voice. "If your damn father hadn't put the clause..."

"St Mungos has been waiting for that money for 2 years and it's just been ripped out from under them!" Marius said satisfactorily. "Not good enough to be a healer? Now let's see them afford that new wing without father's money!"

"She'll calm down, I'm sure of it," Dolores said as she looked at the child. "It just takes a firm hand."

"Once the paperwork is filed with the lawyer, I still don't see why we can't just kill her or send her back," Marius said as he looked at the child disgusted.

"The money goes to her and she must be alive for that to continue," Dolores explained to her twit of a son. "We are merely the guardians of the trust. One your father was sure we wouldn't get our hands on. But we proved him wrong, didn't we Marius?"

"It took 3 years, but you are right mother, as always," he said with a slight bow.

"Take her Marius, I need some quiet to think," Dolores said as she handed the baby to her son who promptly put her down on the couch next to him and ignored her.

Dolores left the room deep in thought, she needed to get the child to eat or she would die and all would be for naught.

"Professor! Professor!" Harry cried as he pounded on their chamber doors. "Hermione!"

Severus Snape whipped open the door a minute later looking dishevelled. "Tirion?"

"No," Harry said softly, sad he had no better news. "But, I do have...where's Hermione?"

"I drugged her with dreamless sleep potion but she's still having nightmares," Severus explained. "I had to keep her from harming herself as she slept."

It was then that Harry noted the scratches on Severus' neck and cheek and the torn arm on his robes. "I..."

"Come in," Severus said as he gestured toward their living room. "What news do you have?"

Tirion had been gone over 24 hours and, although every effort had been made to find her, they were no closer than when they raised the alarms. Severus had finally forced Hermione to sleep in the mid afternoon and had spent the last 3 hours half asleep beside her and half acutely aware of her nightmares.

"Well...I thought that while we were waiting for the Ministry to come back with the paperwork Headmistress McGonagall had requested..."

Severus made a 'get on with it' motion with his hand as he collapsed in a nearby chair.

"I double checked the magical signatures and there was something that wasn't right," Harry said as he pulled out a scroll of parchment. "In one case the signatures are off."

"Two different people?" Severus asked, interested, as he reached for the parchment.

"Possibly," Harry explained.

"Who's the problem?" Severus asked.

"Well, that's where it gets complicated," Harry explained. "The magical signature says it's Phillida Parnecius, Minister of Muggle Studies but ..."

"But Phiillida Parnedius was staying in the castle so how was an entrance signature recorded?" Severus interrupted as he stood.

"Bingo!" Harry said as he looked at Severus. "She was here with her daughter two days prior to graduation and staying as a guest in the castle. She was not required to sign in as she already was registered."

"So who was posing as Phillida Parnecius?" Severus asked.

"Someone who knows her wand well enough to pose as her," Harry explained.

"Has Phillida left the...?" Severus asked as he stood.

"Yeah, she's back in London," Harry explained.

"Is Mr. Weasley...?" Severus asked as he ran his hands through his messy hair.

"I can get him to stay with Hermione." Harry said as he took in the unkept man before him. "You jump in the shower and we'll be back here in a few minutes."

"Oh, okay," Severus said as he looked at himself for the first time. With his daughter missing he hadn't cared about his appearance, but Potter was right in saying he needed a shower.

"We'll find your daughter," Harry said as he clasped a hand on Severus' shoulder.

Severus just nodded and left to grab a shower. He looked at Hermione as she tossed in their bed, Tirion's name on her lips. It broke his heart to see her like this and he vowed he would not rest until his little girl was home again.

When Ron arrived they left for London, leaving Hermione, who had just woken up under his charge.

"Mione, I was told to get you some soup, but if you want something more substantial..." Ron said as she crossed the room.

"I'm not hungry," she said as she stumbled into the living room.

"I have to order you some soup or your husband will skin me," Ron confessed.

"Do whatever Ron," she said listlessly.

"What's your elf's...?" Ron started.

"We don't use them Ronald," she chastised. "You must go to the kitchens."

"Oh," Ron said abashed. "You convinced him of that?"

"He wasn't an elf fan to start," she said quietly.

"Oh," he said. "I guess I'll just get your soup."

Hermione didn't answer him as she grabbed her breast pump from a nearby table and started to walk toward the bedroom. She heard the door shut and slumped against a wall. She really hoped Severus would find some answers because she ached to have Tirion back.

A barn owl flew through the open window and dropped in front of Hermione. She jumped toward it, expecting it was some news from Severus. When she unravelled the note she saw it wasn't his handwriting at all: more loopy and feminine.

'If you ever want to see your daughter again, come to the edge of Hogsmeade and wait for apparition instructions.'

Hermione finished the note and glanced toward the door to her rooms; she made a decision. She dropped the note on the floor and ran out the door.


	20. Chapter 20

Ron arrived back in Hermione's quarters ten minutes later with broth for her.

"Mione! Mione!" He called as he placed the soup gingerly on the coffee table. He looked around the room and didn't spot her anywhere. He cautiously approached her bedroom and peered inside.

"Mione?" He asked quietly as he walked into the space. The bed was unmade, some clothes were strewn about the room and the bathroom door was open. It didn't look like he expected it to. Somehow, he always pictured Snape's bedroom as sparse and orderly. Maybe this was Hermione's influence? Or maybe it was just with Tirion missing no one cared.

"Mione?" He asked as he looked around the corner into the bathroom. Again, there was a wet towel on the floor, some toiletries on the counter, and a robe thrown into a corner. No sign of Hermione.

He immediately started to panic. "Hermione!"

He ran through their quarters and out the door without a backward glance making a beeline to McGonagall's office.

"Give me your wand!" A man commanded as he approached Hermione.

"I...I didn't bring one," Hermione stammered as she looked at him trying to place his face.

He cast a quick revealing charm and realized she was correct.

"Where's my daughter? Where's Tirion?" She yelled.

"Come here!" He commanded.

"Where's Tirion?!" She yelled again.

"If you ever want to see her again you'll come with me!" He commanded again.

Hermione stepped forward and felt his arm wrap firmly around her waist pulling her toward him.

"Hey, what are you...?" She asked.

"Come on my dear, we made a baby together, now's not the time to get shy," the man said moments before he apparated them away.

Harry and Severus were seated in Phillida's living room asking her questions when Ron's terrier patronus came through the picture window. Ron's voice bellowed in the room.

'Professor, Hermione's gone, she was lured to an apparition point outside of Hogsmeade with the promise to see Tirion. We are investigating but we need you to come back.'

Severus immediately rose from his seat; sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Oh, Severus I'm sorry that..." Phillida started.

"Potter, you continue with investigating, Phillida I must go," he said as he walked briskly toward the door.

"Professor I..." Harry started.

"Potter, I...I need a word first..." Severus said hesitantly as he held open the door.

Harry exited in front of him onto the street and starred at him questioningly.

"There's...there's something you don't know that I...that maybe you should before you continue with the investigation," Severus said as he looked around to see that no one was listening.

"Professor?" Harry asked, worried.

"Potter, Tirion...uh, biologically she's not...she's not my daughter, biologically," he said as he lowered his gaze.

"I'm...I'm sorry?" Harry asked confused.

"Hermione was kidnapped and impregnated and I...well, we...we were married and I said it was mine to avoid any negative consequences for her or her child," Severus explained quietly. "We tried to retrieve her memories but it got dangerous as her pregnancy progressed and..."

"You're not Tirion's father? You and Hermione weren't involved? And she was raped?" Harry asked in quick succession. "But you...but she...I mean you love her and she..."

"I love her very much, and she seems to feel that same way, but it merely started out as a favour, of sorts," Severus explained. "But Tirion is my daughter in every way that's important and I...we fear that whoever kidnapped her may be the person who...who put her in this situation to begin with, we haven't..."

"Who else knows she's not yours biologically?" Harry asked.

"McGonagall and Poppy only," Severus explained. "Hermione and I have been trying since Tirion was taken to recover the memories when we haven't been searching and we've had no luck. There's a woman, someone familiar but not friendly who's there and...and we can't seem to get anything else except the fact that she was inseminated and not physically assaulted in the sexual sense."

"You did all this for her?" Harry asked him astounded. "And at the time she was nothing more than a student in trouble?"

"Yes, but she's become so much more. She and Tirion have become...everything," Severus admitted as his eyes watered. "My family is gone Potter and I must get them back."

"We'll get your family back, Severus," Harry said as he clapped him on the shoulder.

Severus nodded. He had nothing left to lose.


	21. Chapter 21

"How the hell did this happen?" Severus bellowed as he walked into his quarters looking at all the Aurors and one very pale Weasley boy.

"Professor, it was my fault," Ron said as he carefully stepped forward. "You don't use the house elves, and she needed soup...but when I got back..."

"Fitz Mercer," a man said as he extended his hand to Severus. "I've taken over the investigation from Yodel, now that it's a double kidnapping."

Severus looked at his hand and did not shake it. "Wasn't it a team of Aurors who were supposed to be guarding the place already? Forgive me if I have little faith in your abilities now that my wife and daughter are both missing within 36 hours."

Fitz pulled back his hand and looked at the man, worried. He had been a student two years behind Severus but his reputation as a right git was not lost on him.

"Professor Snape I can assure you that..."

"All you can assure me of is the fact that now you have royally fucked up protecting my family twice you'll do everything in your power to get them home safely as quickly as possible!"

"Uh, yes, well..." Fitz stammered.

Severus marched past him to the Weasley boy who stepped back against the closest wall, waiting for the attack.

"How was she...before?" Severus asked him softly.

"Uh," Ron stammered, caught off guard by his tone. "It took her a good hour to get out of bed and then, once she did she was sort of out of it, said she wasn't hungry but I went to get her food anyways."

"So, she didn't seem like she was hiding anything?" Severus asked, trying to ascertain when she was contacted.

"No, when I left she was holding her breast pump, about to go and...you know..."

Severus nodded. Fitz came up to him and handed him the note Hermione had received. There was nothing special about it in any way and the magical trace had already been taken off of it with no leads.

"Only Tirion would have caused her to do something this..." he mumbled as he handed the note back and looked out the open window beside him.

"What can I do to help?" Ron asked, looking at the broken man before him.

"You can keep an eye on these Aurors and tell me if there's anything they come up with," Severus said as he watched Fitz walk away.

"Mione is strong professor and she loves your daughter more than anything, she'll keep her safe," Ron said.

'But who'll keep her safe?' Severus asked himself as he noticed the rain start to fall outside.

"Glad you could join us Mrs. Snape," Dolores Umbridge said as she turned to face Hermione.

Tirion was in her arms crying and Hermione, as much as she wanted to attack, couldn't focus on anything but her wailing child.

"It appears as though we need a wet nurse for my granddaughter and, well, we thought you would oblige," Dolores said coldly.

Hermione took a step toward Tirion and Marius halted her by grabbing her shoulder. "No funny business or the kid gets it."

Hermione nodded and his hand lifted off her shoulder. She walked calmly but quickly towards her daughter and put out her arms to take her. Dolores hesitated for a moment and then handed her over. Hermione immediately began to cry when Tirion was back in her arms.

"Feed the child before she dies," Dolores said coldly.

Hermione nodded and walked carefully over to a nearby couch. She undid herself and popped Tirion on her left breast. The baby latched and began to suck vigorously. Hermione continued to cry as she inspected her little girl for damage. She was pale, her cheeks were no longer plump, her skin was all blotchy, and she had dark circles around her eyes.

"What did you do to her?" Hermione snapped.

"Nothing, yet," Marius said with an evil grin. "But if she kept up that wailing..."

"She wouldn't take a bottle," Dolores said as she sat at a desk and observed the girl. "Damn obstinate child would rather have died. No survival instincts at all...must be the mudblood in her..."

Hermione cried some more as she watched her starving child eat for the first time in days. "Why would you take her?"

"She's ours," Dolores said without emotion. "We worked hard to get her, you were merely a surrogate."

"She's mine," Hermione said with all the anger she could muster as she held her child in her arms.

"That is an unfortunate part of this whole incident," Dolores said as she got up to walk over to Hermione. "You see, pureblood girl's bodies rejected all of our attempts at insemination. Apparently mudblood bodies aren't as discerning about what they take into them. So my granddaughter is unfortunately part mudblood, but we'll try and overlook that."

"You kidnapped me and he..." Hermione said as she looked at Marius.

"I would never!" Marius said shocked. "A filthy mudblood!"

Dolores grabbed Hermione by the chin and forced her to look at her face. "You are her biological mother but my son would never put anything near your filthy body. It was all very...pure."

"And once she was born you just thought you could take her?" Hermione asked.

"Her early arrival did put things off a bit," Dolores said as she left go of Hermione's chin. "We expected you to deliver once the castle was empty for the summer, there would have been fewer issues."

"You can't take my daughter," Hermione said as she popped Tirion off one breast and shifted her to her shoulder to burp. "Severus will..."

"Ah, yes, the crafty Professor Snape," Dolores said as she walked toward the fireplace. "You and he were good at hiding the fact that you were his whore. All of our intelligence said you were not on your back for anyone. We actually thought you were a virgin!"

"So he thinks Tirion is his, does he?" Marius laughed. "What a fool!"

"Severus won't stop until..."

"Why couldn't you have just been a good little girl and run home to mummy and daddy?" Dolores snapped at her. "It would have been so much easier."

Tirion burped and Hermione shifted her to her other breast. She would feed her non-stop until her cheeks were plump and her eyes no longer caved in.

"So, what do you intend to do with us?" Hermione asked.

"There is no us," Marius laughed. "We will not be burdened with her whore of a mother as well!"

"My dear, you will serve your purpose and then, well..." Dolores said as she walked toward the door.

Hermione looked at the woman's evil face. She was going to kill her and take Tirion away forever once they didn't need her anymore. Of that, she had no doubt.

"Fatten my granddaughter up, we need her healthy for travel," Dolores said as she walked out of the room.

"What do you have?" Severus asked as he marched into the Headmistress' office. Potter, Weasley, McGonagall, Flitwick, Hooch and the mediwitch Danica were all standing around. He had been in Hogsmeade investigating the spot Hermione had apparated from.

"I pulled the blood work on Tirion and..." Danica started and then looked around the room. "Perhaps we should discuss this in private, Severus."

He looked at her face and knew that she thought she was going to give him startling information; knowledge he already had.

"Who's the baby's father?" Severus asked, simply. Ignoring the gasps from the people who didn't know the secret.

"Marius Umbridge," Danica said, surprised by his question.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: I've had a couple of requests to put more breaks in the story so you know there is a change of scene/pov and I honestly thought they were there (in the preview screen they are!). I'm trying a horizontal line this time and hopefully it'll show up. I am soooo sorry. I honestly thought there were scene breaks and, as I haven't gone back to re-read my story, I assumed what I saw on the preview screen was there for you as well. If they don't show up...the first bit is with Luna, the next with Maxima (a Slytherin we met earlier in the story) and the third with Dolores. Hopefully I can get this sorted. **

**Thank you sooo much for all the wonderful reviews. I am glad everyone is enjoying it so far.**

Luna Lovegood was meandering through Diagon Alley, enjoying the freedom graduation can only bring. Unlike the other graduates who were busy with their new jobs or looking for a purpose in their life, she wasn't worried about her future. She was going to write for her father's paper_ The Quibbler_. It was that simple.

Neville had agreed to come with her on her first investigative piece to the Lake District where they were going to look at Niftlers and their use in wizarding farming methods. It was also a good opportunity for Neville to get away from his over-bearing grandmother who was insisting he not put off his Auror training for much longer. She and Neville had decided to marry while away and bear the wrath of his grandmother when they got home.

"Did you get the Niftler Scope?" Neville asked her as he caught up to her, a small box in his hand.

"Yes, it's not purple, which is ideal, but it'll do," Luna said as she grasped his hand.

The stopped and looked at a copy of The Prophet which was sitting on a newsstand. A Headline caught their attention: _Is There Any Security? Hermione Snape Gone Missing! Is this a Death Eaters Plot Against Severus Snape? A Report by Rita Skeeter ._

"Hermione gone too?" Neville asked astounded. "I would have thought they've found the baby by now."

"Me too," Luna said quietly. "That poor family."

"Do you think we should offer our help? I know at graduation..." Neville started.

"They have the Ministry Aurors and the Order Neville, we'll just get in the way I suspect," Luna said softly as she tugged at his hand. "I'll send a card through to the Headmistress letting her know where we'll be if she does need anything. We can Apparate there in a moment if they really do need our help."

"I supposed so," Neville said sadly. "If anyone ever took you Luna..."

"I know," she said as she looked up at him. "Or when we have kids, if..."

"The Professor must be out of his mind," Neville said softly.

* * *

Maxima watched as a senior record-keeper ran down a hallway with files bumping along in the air behind her.

"What's her rush?" Maxima asked her boss Zelda.

"We just got a call in for all records related to Marius and Dolores Umbridge," Zelda explained. "It has to do with the Snape baby kidnapping. He was your Head of House right?"

"Yeah," Maxima said as she turned to look at Zelda worried. "I've been worried sick since it happened but they made us all leave the castle so they could investigate. We all offered to help but...the Aurors took over. It's only been two days but still..."

"Those poor parents," Zelda said as she shook her head. "Sorry, most first days of work aren't this action packed. Record-keeping is usually tedious work and as an Intern you'll be starting with some file transfers we haven't had the chance to get to. Most are over fifty years old and haven't been recorded in our new system. You remember the spells from your training session a week ago?"

"Uh, yes," Maxima said, still distracted.

"Well, you can start with this set here," she said indicating a pile to the left. "And then let me know when you're ready for more."

"Okay, thanks," Maxima said, attempting to smile. Her mind was on her Head of House.

* * *

"They've pulled the records," Dolores said as she marched into the room.

Hermione was drifting off to sleep on the couch with Tirion clutched in her arms. She awoke with a start and held her baby tightly to her.

She had been feeding Tirion on and off for hours trying to make her baby healthy again. Dolores and Marius had taken turns watching her and they had exchanged few words. Hermione was just happy to have Tirion with her. She had however devised a plan and the diaper pin she clutched in her hand was an integral part of it.

"Give me a second to get my things," Marius said as he walked toward his mother.

"Quickly," Dolores said as she walked toward Hermione.

"Let me stay with you," Hermione pleaded. "I've done nothing to make you think I'll take her. She's still not well and..."

"Oh, you'll stay with us, for a while at least," Dolores said as she reached for Tirion. "Hazel is going to need more nutrients before we switch her to the bottle."

"Hazel?" Hermione asked.

"My granddaughter," Dolores said as she attempted to pull Tirion from Hermione's arms. "Tirion is such a stupid name. But Hazel...well, it has staying power."

As Dolores grabbed Tirion, not gently, Hermione stabbed her daughter's foot with the pin and the baby let out a scream. She apologized in her head as Dolores bucked with the infant in her arms pulling her towards her body, unnoticing of the droplet of blood that fell on the carpet at her feet.

"She doesn't like being far from her milk source," Dolores said by way of explanation as her face reddened.

"I can..." Hermione offered as she reached out with her arms.

"No!" Dolores said sharply. "She's fine!"

Hermione pulled back from the pair, her heart breaking with every inch her daughter was away from her. Umbridge could apparate away from her at any moment and then Tirion would be lost again.

Marius walked back into the room and towards his mother. "Ready?"

"Yes, I'll take Hazel and you take the mudblood," Dolores said as she nodded her head towards Hermione.

Hermione stood and used the baby pin to draw blood from her own hand. She watched it fall to the ground next to her daughters and hoped it wouldn't be missed. The place they were must be known to the Ministry, hence the hasty departure. She hoped Severus would be here soon. He needed to know she was with Tirion and hopefully, the blood would lead them to their location.

"Get over here!" Marius said as he wrenched her arm.

Hermione watched as Tirion disappeared with a pop in Dolores's arms. Her heart sank for a fraction of a second until she felt the familiar pull of Apparition take her away as well.


	23. Chapter 23

"Aurors have been dispatched to the two addresses," Fitz Mercer explained to Severus as he walked into the Headmistress' office.

"I need the addresses," Severus said as he walked toward the man.

"Professor Snape, we can..." Fitz began to explain.

"Give us the addresses!" Harry demanded as he walked up behind Severus for support.

"I can assure you..." Fitz started again.

Severus then pulled his wand and directed it towards the Auror.

"No, I can assure you..." he began menacingly.

"Severus you will be of no help in Azkaban!" Minerva snapped as she approached the group with authority. "Now, I'm sure Mr. Mercer will allow the husband and father of the kidnap victims access to the investigation scenes. Won't you Mr. Mercer?"

"Uh...yes," Fitz said as he swallowed hard.

* * *

Hermione dropped to her knees and threw up on the floor after they apparated to the third location in less than 5 minutes.

"Clean it up before we go!" Dolores called to Marius as Tirion screamed in her arms.

Marius waved his wand at the mess and _scourgified _it before wrenching Hermione up by the shoulder and apparating away again.

Two more apparitions later they landed in the front yard of a farm house.

"Take her!" Dolores said to Hermione as she dropped Tirion in her arms.

Hermione gratefully accepted her daughter and cuddled her close to her body making soft cooing noises to calm her.

"Inside!" Marius barked as he whipped open the door to the house.

Hermione surmised they had landed at the new location.

* * *

Harry, Severus, Filius and Ron looked around at their lavish surroundings.

"I guess being a right horrible bitch pays well," Ron said under his breath.

"The Umbridge family name carries with it a sizeable fortune," Filius said as he walked around the room performing a charm. "It's not Dolores who is rich but rather her late husband and, by birth, her son, Marius."

"Has anyone looked into the family's finances? Any expenses that...?" Severus began to ask.

"Mr. Applewood, a Gringotts representative, should be here anytime now to provide us with a report," Fitz explained.

"Thank you," Severus said softly as he noted a baby blanket on a table. He picked it up and smelled it. It was Tirion's; he would know her intoxicating smell of fresh baby, talc, and sweetness anywhere. He closed his eyes and silently prayed for his daughter's safety.

"Did the Auror's get this?" Harry asked as he pointed to two drops of blood on the carpet.

"Uh, I'm sure..." Fitz said as he flipped through the parchment he held in his hand. "There was a full sweep done before it was cleared for you to..."

Filius cast a charm over the droplets. "It's Hermione and Tirion."

Severus walked over with the baby blanket in hand and looked at the blood closely. It wasn't a lot, and there was no splatter, just two drops. His wife had meant this as some sort of message-maybe to alert him to the fact that she was with their daughter and was protecting her.

"Actually, it's not on the report Mr. Potter," Fitz said as he leaned over the droplets to record the sample with his wand.

"May I?" Harry asked as he went to touch the droplets.

"It's highly unortha..." Fitz began.

Harry touched one droplet with his index finger and felt nothing. He touched the other droplet and smoke-like wisps wrapped around his hand.

"Professor! Take my hand!" Harry yelled.

Severus closed the distance, grasped the young man's hand and they immediately apparated away.


	24. Chapter 24

Severus and Harry landed in a hallway of a hotel in London and Harry was just about to let go of Severus' hand and start searching when he felt a familiar tug in his stomach again.

"Hang on!" Harry said to Severus as they popped away just as Fillius, Ron and Fitz appeared.

They next arrived in an alleyway outside of a restaurant in Manchester. Harry waited to see if he would apparate again but there was no tug. He and Severus dropped hands and started to look around with wands out. Severus sent his Patronus to Fillius so they knew where to find them. There was no one else in the alley but Hermione and Tirion had been here hours ago, no one knew where they could be by now.

"More blood!" Harry said as he l looked at the ground near a dumpster.

"Test it to see," Severus said as he grabbed Harry's shoulder and watched him hunch down and place his finger in it. The wisps appeared again and both men felt a familiar tug in their stomach.

The next time they arrived at a location it was a small apartment in Belfast. No tug pulled them to a new location. They looked around and saw no signs of blood anywhere. Severus again sent a Patronus to alert their companions of their new location. Harry and Severus noted that the address was the second Umbridge piece of real estate the Ministry had uncovered. The place did not look like it had been lived in for a long time.

"Nothing!" Severus snapped as he pounded a wall with his fist. "The trail's cold!"

Just then Fillius, Ron and Fitz showed up with a 'pop'.

"How many apparat...?" Ron asked.

"This is the third and there's no blood here," Harry said as he watched Severus open drawers and rifle through the contents.

Fitz was casting a revealing charm around the room.

"There's vomit right here," he said pointing his want to the floor. "It belongs to Hermione Snape."

"She can't apparate that many times in her condition, with her weakened state, feeding Tirion and..."

"There are blood traces underneath but nothing conclu..."

"Try it!" Severus snapped at Harry as the young man dropped to his knees and started to touch the floor with his hand hoping for the wisps to appear.

"Nothing," Harry said sadly.

Severus let go of his shoulder and swore under his breath.

"We'll turn this place over and all the other locations, I just need them," Fitz said, trying to sound reassuring.

"I'll give you the information," Harry said disheartedly as he clapped Severus on the shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

It wasn't until he fell into a nearby chair, that Severus noticed he was still clutching Tirion's baby blanket with all his might.

* * *

"What do you mean you didn't bring the bottle?" Dolores snapped at her son.

"I grabbed my things not..."

"You imbecile!" she said as she slapped him hard across the cheek. "You now must go to town and buy some because you can't transfigure them without altering the taste!"

"I can just feed her," Hermione spoke up.

"No, we need to wean her off your tits," Dolores said with venom in her voice. "She will be travelling without her mudblood mother soon but we'll use your milk to get her used to a bottle."

"What should I do mother?" Marius asked.

"Use the polyjuice so no one recognizes you and go into town, I'll provide the list," Dolores said tiredly.

"I could go with you, I wouldn't..." Hermione started as soon as Marius left to get the potion.

"We won't need filth like you around my Hazel...undue influence in the ways of the mudblood," Dolores said as she reached for a quill.

Hermione knew then that there was no hope; either she tried to save them or she would never see her daughter again, and probably be dead in a few days time.


	25. Chapter 25

Two days had passed since the trail went cold and no more evidence had appeared. The points they had apparated to had all been thoroughly investigated by the Aurors and Hermione's friends. There was nothing. Everyone had, reluctantly, returned to Hogwarts when there appeared to be nothing else to do.

Severus walked into their rooms for the first time in days and, although he wanted to continue, collapsed on their bed from sheer exhaustion, his feet still partially on the floor, fully clothed. He didn't even wake when Wendy Granger placed a blanket over him and Harvey pulled his feet up onto the bed.

They looked at their son-in-law. A man who was only a few years younger than them and sighed. He looked like he hadn't eaten or showered properly in days. His face was a tight mask of severe lines as he slept, his body twitching every once in a while and their daughter and grand-daughter's names softly escaping his mouth.

Headmistress McGonagall had kept them at the castle since the kidnapping but, being muggles who couldn't apparate, they had not been part of the search. Instead they had sat, feeling useless, in the castle for days as they were given updates by various people. They had hardly seen Severus but now, as they looked at him, they knew why. He hadn't stopped looking for a minute since Tirion had been taken.

"He'll find them," Harvey Granger said as he slipped an arm around his wife's waist.

"I hope so," Wendy said as she leaned onto his shoulder.

"Either that or he'll die trying," Harvey said as he guided his wife out of the bedroom and into the living room.

* * *

Maxima Goyle was starting to question her career choice. It was only the end of her first week on the job and already she was bored stiff. Magically entering old records into the system was even more boring than it sounded. She had really wanted to be an Auror but her grades had not been high enough, and she had missed the deadline for university applications so, a Ministry job was her only choice. Either that or work at her uncle's shop in Diagon Alley selling familiars. She had decided, in the end, that she preferred tedium over cleaning animal cages.

She waved her wand toward the next file and it drifted towards her and snapped open. Her eyes widened when she saw what it was: The Last Will of Burnaby Umbridge. The family that had kidnapped Tirion! Maxima greedily leaned over it and started to read, her filing forgotten. Burnaby had left his entire, rather large, estate to his son Marius, not his wife Dolores. An odd choice, but some in the wizarding world still felt women couldn't control estates. There was a stipulation however that, even with a Revelo spell, wouldn't appear on the parchment.

"Weird," Maxima said as she tried again and had no luck. She promised herself she would take it to her boss as soon as she was done reading. She hoped her boss would be able to reveal the stipulation.

Inside the Will was a series of boring lists. Who else, besides his son, was to get family jewels, money, bonds, properties, etc.

It all looked like gobbelty gook to Maxima but she read on. In the last section of the Will there was a piece of unplottable property he'd left to his wife Dolores 'in hopes she would find peace there in her retirement'. It was all that was left to her.

"Unplottable?" Maxima muttered under her breath. She wondered if her Head of House knew about this piece of real estate.

Deciding right then and there that her Head of House needed to see this document, Maxima rolled up the parchment and made her way to the nearest Apparation point.


	26. Chapter 26

Luna Lovegood was just closing the gate behind her as she exited a lovely farm where Nifters seemed predominant when a man shuffled past her in a hurry almost knocking her off balance.

"Really?" She said exasperated. But just then an odd feeling washed over her; one she couldn't place but knew it was significant enough to follow the man.

He was rushing back from the little nearby town with a bag in his hand toward a small laneway that seemed to lead nowhere.

"How do I know you?" She asked herself as she watched him continue up the laneway.

"Luna, are you ready?" Neville asked her as he took her elbow.

She turned her head to look at Neville and nod in the affirmative. Then, looking back towards the strange man, she noted that he had disappeared.

"Huh?" She asked, surprised as she looked around and saw him nowhere else.

"What are you looking after?" Neville asked, interested. "Another Niftler?"

"No, someone...someone..." she muttered.

"Who?" He asked.

"Neville, there was a man, and there was something very familiar about him, something..." she said looking dreamily around trying to place the memory.

"Happens to me all the time," he said with a smile. "It'll come to you."

"I...I guess it will," she said resigned. "You ready for dinner?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Neville smiled at her as he slapped his stomach.

* * *

"What the...?" Severus asked as he stumbled into his living room.

"Oh, you're up," Wendy Granger said as she rose from her spot on the couch.

"Mr and Mrs Granger, I...Hermione has not been...is there any...?" He asked, his mind still foggy from sleep.

"No, no changes," Harvey said sadly.

"Oh," Severus said as he leaned against his desk. "I must get back to work, I was unaware that I had slept..."

"Go and grab a shower first and..." Wendy suggested.

"No, I need to..."

"Severus you need to wake up of you are going to find our girls. A shower is the quickest way to that point and you should consider shaving as well."

"I...well...I..." he stumbled over his words as he felt his stubbly chin.

"Go, and when you get out Harv and I will have dinner ready," Wendy said with a smile.

Severus bowed slightly and left the room, unsure of how to react to his mother-in-law. He didn't like taking orders from someone, but she did have a point. He looked at his lined, tired face in the washroom mirror and frowned. He closed his eyes and prayed that Hermione and Tirion were safe and still with each other. Stripping off his dirty clothes he stepped into the shower and turned on the spray and steam. The experience made him feel like a new man, pulling the grime of several days from his body and leaving him feeling newly scrubbed. He was just reaching for his razor when someone ran into the washroom and whipped open the glass shower door where he stood.

"Professor!" Ron yelled at him.

"Mr Weasley, what the hell!" Severus yelled, indignant even nude.

"Maxima Goyle found a record that...there's an unplottable place that the Umbridge witch owns and..." Ron continued, excited.

"What?" Severus asked as he turned to snap off the water and steam.

"It was in an old record that the Ministry hadn't filed yet and..."

"Holy shit!" Severus said, excited as he pushed past Ron and reached for a towel.

It was then that Ron realized that Severus was naked.

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't..." Ron stammered.

"You have the same equipment Mr. Weasley, stop blubbering," Severus snapped as he wrapped a towel around his waist and padded out of the room into the bedroom where Wendy and Harvey Granger stood.

"Severus, Ron says its unplottabe and from what Hermione has told us..." Wendy started, unworried about her son-in-laws state of undress.

"We need to get to the Headmistress' office," Severus said as he dripped on the floor and held his towel tight around his waist. "Mr. Weasley, kindly escort Hermione's parents there and I will join you as soon as I'm dressed."

"Oh, uh, sorry Severus, we were just so excited and..." Harvey began to stammer.

Severus waved the apology off. 'It's fine I'll see you in a moment."

The three intruders left his room and shut the door behind them. Severus cast a quick drying spell and accio'd a fresh set of clothing from his wardrobe. A minute later he was thrusting floo powder into the fireplace and arriving in Headmistress McGonagall's office.


	27. Chapter 27

Hermione Snape lay on a narrow bed in a darkened and heavily warded room watching her baby sleep. It had been a few days and no one had shown up and she was starting to lose hope that anyone would. She thought the blood trail would have helped but for some reason it hadn't led them here and she didn't know why. She had been pumping her milk and bottling it for Dolores Umbridge but so far Tirion had resisted the proffered item outright. Dolores had been furious and had talked of starving Tirion to get her to take a bottle. Hermione took some pride in the fact that her daughter had spunk.

She softly placed her hand on her daughter's rising belly and closed her eyes. She was going to have to try and escape with Tirion, despite the threats Dolores and her son had sent her way. Because, eventually, Tirion would take a bottle and they would probably kill her and take her daughter away forever. Hermione shuddered at the thought of these people raising her girl and what it would do to Severus.

A lone tear ran down the edge of her nose as she looked at her little one. Severus, who had willingly taken on the role of father, had been left alone. He would be going mad, Hermione knew, looking for them. He would be blaming himself, frantically worried for their safety, and using all of his spy techniques and contacts to find them. She hoped he had allowed others to help and that he was taking care of himself. She loved him with all her heart and, if it came to that, her death and Tirion's kidnapping would be the end of him.

Tirion stirred a little and before she could let out a wail, Hermione popped a nipple into her mouth. Her daughter greedily suckled her breast and palmed the skin surrounding the nipple.

"No bottles for you," Hermione whispered to her girl.

* * *

Maxima Goyle was unprepared for the scene that was taking place in the Headmistress' office. Two muggles had just been brought through the floo and were taking seats when Professor Snape, her former Head of House, came through the floo. He was still buttoning his white dress shirt and had a robe tossed over his arm. His hair was dripping wet and he had a light beard covering his face.

Maxima swallowed hard as she watched him immediately start talking to the Headmistress while tucking his shirt into his neat black pants, throw his robe on a chair, and pull his hair back into a low ponytail. She had never thought of her former teacher as sexy until that moment, but then quickly banished the thought when she remembered why she was there.

"What am I looking at Maxima?" Severus asked as he leaned over a document on the Headmistress' desk.

Maxima was still lost in her thoughts and failed to hear the address.

"Maxima?" Severus asked again as he eyed the girl perplexed.

"Uh, sorry," she snickered as she was pulled from her thoughts and back to the present. "It's Burnaby Umbridge's Last Will and Testament. It mentions an unplottable piece of real estate that he bequeathed to his wife Dolores and..."

"Could we get the Ministry to release...?" Severus interrupted the girl as he turned to Minerva.

"We could try Severus, but this document is so old...I wouldn't be surprised if it pre-dates mandatory registration."

"I'll go to the Ministry, maybe my dad..." Ron stepped forward.

"Good, thank you Mr Weasley but I should..." Severus began.

"I'll go with him and we'll report back to you Severus," Minerva interrupted. "Fillius needs you to work with him on a charm."

"A...what?" Severus asked as his head whipped up.

"There's a stipulation within the Will that is hidden," Maxima explained as she pointed to the document. "I cast a Revealo but nothing came up. It's stronger, possibly older magic."

"The stipulation is related to Marius," Severus noted as his eyes read quickly.

"I don't...can someone explain what's going on because you lost us at unplottable," Harvey Granger said as he stood and looked at the group.

"I'm sorry," Severus apologized to his father-in-law. "An unplottable place is one that is hidden by magic, and only a secret-keeper can locate it and bring you inside. Until we can find the secret-keeper we won't be able to gain access to this piece of real estate."

"And what was that about a stipulation?" Wendy asked as she walked toward the table where the document was laid out.

"In his Will," Fillius started to explain," Burnaby Umbridge left everything to his son, but there was a note or addendum to that gift, one that is hidden on the document. We need to break through the charm to see the note. It might give us a clue."

"What have you tried?" Severus asked Fillius.

"Revealo, Notrius Concealmente, Aperio..." Fillius listed. "I am going back to my office to pick up some more charms books. It's not something widely used."

"I have some dark arts charm books in my rooms," Severus added. "Maybe it's dark magic at work?"

"I wouldn't put anything past that Umbridge clan," Fillis said before he reached for some Floo powder and left the room.

"Thank you for this, Maxima," Severus said as he touched her shoulder.

"No...no problem Professor, if there's anything I can do to..." Maxima sputtered.

"Can you stay at the castle? We may have some questions and if you're near it'll..."

"Of course!" She said as she blushed.

"I'll help you get a room," Professor Sprout said as she called the girl toward the door.

Maxima left with the Herbologist and everyone else in the room leaned back over the parchment on the desk.


	28. Chapter 28

"Barring no other spells, we've tried everything," Fillius said tiredly. "That dark magic one is the last, but it could destroy the document itself if it doesn't work."

They had been trying spells for over 8 hours. It was the wee hours of the morning and only a few remained. What had started out as a large group of people intent on helping in any way they could, had whittled down to Severus, Fillius, Minerva, Fitz, and Harry.

"It's the last dark spell we can cast," Severus said wearily as he starred at the parchment begging it to give him answers.

"Maybe we should wait until the morning, clear our heads and consult that charms expert at Durmstrang?" Minerva offered.

"If Gregor didn't know the spell, I don't know if there would be another to try," Fitz said as he wiped his brow. "He's our best dark magic Auror and he studied at Durmstrang."

The room fell into silence. It was the best lead they had and they could destroy it if the next spell didn't work.

Severus walked toward a window and starred out into the summer night. Somewhere his wife and daughter were, hopefully, sleeping and safe.

Then he saw a bunny patronus making it's way across the school grounds. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if fatigue was taking over, but then knew he was fully aware when it hopped into the Headmistress' office and everyone gasped.

"Professor, you have to come to the Lake District," Luna Lovegood's voice rang out in the office.

"That's Luna!" Harry exclaimed with a smile on his face.

"A man tied to your daughter is here and I think he may be the key to finding her," Luna continued. "Come to Yewhow Wood and Neville will meet you."

The bunny jumped around the room and disappeared.

"Miss Lovegood?" Severus asked Harry.

"Yes, she just graduated this year," Harry explained as he watched Severus walk across the room and don his robe.

"Yewhow Wood?" Severus confirmed.

"I'm coming with you," Harry said as he approached the man.

"Me too," Fitz said as he walked toward the pair.

"Should we cast the final spell?" Minerva asked the room.

"Not...not yet," Severus hesitated. "Maybe this lead will take us to them without...Minerva it might be our last hope and if we destroy it..."

"I understand," Minerva said softly. "Let us know if you need anything."

"Thank you, we will," Harry said as they strode toward the door.

"And Severus," Minerva called after him. "Bring our girls home."

"I intend to," Severus said with a slight hitch to his voice before they left the castle to apparate to Luna's location.

* * *

Hermione had been watching Dolores Umbridge closely for days. Whenever she was upset she screwed her face up like she was trying to pass a troublesome bowel movement. Whenever she was pleased her right eyebrow went up higher than her left and she rubbed the pad of her right thumb against her index finger. Whenever she was angry she took a deep breath, her eyes turned cold, and her back stiffened before she struck.

Right now, she was crossing and uncrossing her ankles repeatedly, which indicated that she was worried. She was also scratching the back of her neck; telling Hermione that she was tired. It was 3 am, they were both tired.

Marius was out for the night, drinking at the local pub with a few friends from his youth that he'd met up with on the laneway. The pub closed an hour ago, but one friend was the owner so he might not be back until sunrise. Hermione could tell that Dolores was not pleased. She had insisted tonight that Tirion, once asleep, stayed with her instead of Hermione. But when she woke screaming, like now, she snatched Hermione from her warded room and sat starring at her in the living room as she fed her baby.

Tonight was the night Hermione needed to act if they were ever going to get out of here alive. She looked toward the front door and knew there were wards around it, but if she could get Dolores' wand...

Tirion popped off her breast and Hermione tipped her up onto her shoulder to burp her. Dolores rubbed her neck furiously.

"Get her to sleep and then we can all go back to bed," she demanded wearily.

Hermione nodded and noted that Dolores had not reached for her wand on the side table yet.

Tirion let out a burp with a little bit of barf and Hermione seized the opportunity.

"What?!" Hermione asked worried.

"What? What's going on?" Dolores snapped as she looked across the room.

"There's blood in her vomit!" Hermione cried. "A...a lot of blood and it's...it's dark and...oh my god!"

Dolores stood up abruptly and stalked toward Hermione and Tirion. "Let me see!"

When she got within three feet Hermione stood as if to show her and instead ran across the room toward the wand. Dolores reacted slowly, thinking Hermione was moving for the towel sitting on the nearby sofa. By the time she realized what Hermione had done the wand was in her grasp.

"Accio wand!" Dolores called. The wand held firmly in Hermione's grasp tried to pull away but Hermione held on tight. Tirion started to wail.

"Stupify!" Hermione yelled. The wand shuttered a little and a weak stupify spell hit Dolores causing her to fall back on her rump but not go unconscious.

"Incarcerous!" Hermione called out and two small ropes wrapped loosely around Dolores.

"My wand doesn't like you," Dolores said with a laugh as she went to stand.

Dolores started to stalk toward her and Hermione moved toward the door.

"Flipendo!" Hermione called as she aimed at a nearby sofa. It jumped around and started to flip but stopped before it turned over.

"You'll never get out, the wards are too strong, and Marius will be home any minute," Dolores said as her eyes went cold.

"Protego!" Hermione called as a soft shield came up in front of her and Tirion.

"You mudblood bitch!" Dolores snapped. "Who do you think you are?!"

"Her mother!" Hermione yelled back as she held onto Tirion. "Crucio!"

Dolores fell to the floor and writhed in agony before Hermione.

As it turned out, Dolores' wand did respond to Hermione, when she was angry.


	29. Chapter 29

She had never cast an unforgivable before and part of her was relieved she stopped the horrible woman's progress towards her; another part of her was horrified by what she had done. Tirion wiggled in her arms as Hermione looked at the collapsed figure on the floor. She had to do something; she just wasn't sure what at the moment. Her hands were shaking as she put Tirion down on the couch. She walked across the room and grabbed the drapery tie-backs.

Hermione picked Tirion up off the couch and looked at her handy work. Dolores was safely tied up and immobilized; something easily accomplished after the crucio was cast. Hermione walked toward the door and cast several spells to open the door and remove the wards. Nothing worked. She started to walk around the house and try to open any window she could find. None opened. Realization finally hit her; she may have the wand and Dolores may be immobile but she was still trapped.

* * *

" Wow, you guys came quickly, I just got here me'self," Neville said as he eyed the three men before him.

"Sorry to bother you so late Mr Longbottom," Severus said as he looked around on the dark street.

"Professor," Neville sputtered. "Wh...whatever Luna and I can do to help."

"Where is Luna?" Harry asked as he looked around.

"Back at the Inn we're staying at," Neville explained as he directed them to follow him. "We're here doing a piece on Niftlers and their use in farming meth..."

"Ms. Lovegood said she had some information that may help us find Tirion and Hermione," Severus interrupted.

"I better let her explain it," Neville said as he continued to walk.

They walked in silence all the way back to the Running Footman Inn and found Luna waiting in the sitting room by the fire.

"Luna!" Harry said as he walked to her and hugged her.

"Harry, you came too!" she said happily.

"I did," Harry smiled at her. "Niftlers, huh?"

"They really are quite inter..."

"Sorry to break up the reunion, but my wife and daughter are missing," Severus said as he approached Luna.

"Oh, sorry professor," Luna said as she released Harry. "I saw this man earlier, nearly knocked me off my feet..."

She gestured for everyone to take a seat. They all sat down in the various chairs and listened to her.

"He felt the same as Tirion," Luna said as she looked Severus directly in the eyes. "You know, professor, how I am about feelings."

Severus nodded, she was talking about their encounter at Hogwarts when she said she knew Tirion wasn't his biologically.

"Where did you see this man? Did you recognize him?" Severus asked.

"I don't know him, but he was going up a laneway near a farm I was visiting, I looked away and he just...just disappeared."

"Unplottable," Harry murmured behind him.

"Can you show us the laneway?" Severus asked as he went to stand.

"Of course," Luna said smiling.

"Luna, it's the dead of night and..." Neville began.

"They need to go now," Luna said as she rose from her seat. "They need to find them as soon as possible."

Luna stood up and led them out of the Inn.

* * *

Marius downed another pint and looked blurry-eyed at the clock across the bar.

"I...I better go back," he said as he lunged out of his chair.

Marius fell over his own feet and a friend caught him and kept him from hitting the ground.

"Why don't you just stay the night, man?" the owner, Terry, asked.

"No, mother will be...she'll be furious," Marius said as he grabbed onto the wall.

"Cut the apron strings!" his friend Barry called out.

Marius winced at the insult and pulled himself more upright again. "No, I best be going."

"Whatever, man. It's your funeral when she sees you like this!" Terry called to him as he stumbled toward the door and pulled it open bringing in some crisp summer air.


	30. Chapter 30

Everyone exited the Inn with Luna and Neville following them outside the village and towards a lonely laneway. In front of them a man was stumbling out of a pub, quite drunk.

"You forgot your wallet!" the barkeep yelled after the man. The drunkard miss-stepped and lurched as he turned to retrieve his wallet.

"That's one honest barman," Fitz commented.

"That's him," Luna hissed.

"Him who? The barman?" Severus asked her sharply.

"No, the drunk one," Luna whispered. "He's the one who has Tirion's aura!"

Severus looked between the barkeep and the drunkard and acted swiftly.

"I can get it to him," he said to the barkeep as he approached him with his hand outstretched.

"Yeah, like I'm going to give his wallet to you, whoever you are!" The barkeep scoffed at him.

"Block me!" Severus called quietly to Harry.

Harry walked up behind Severus and blocked him from the drunken man.

"What's this all about?" The barkeep asked.

"Stupefy!" Severus called as he pulled his wand out. The barkeep fell to the ground like a rock. Severus ran towards him and grabbed a chunk of hair, pulled a vial from inside his robes and added the hair.

"Let me help you," Fitz called to the drunken man, once he realized what Severus was doing. He and Neville turned Marius in the other direction and held him somewhat upright while Severus and Harry pulled the barkeep into a nearby alley.

"Grab the wallet!" Severus called to Harry.

Harry pulled out the ID. And looked at Severus surprised.

"Always come prepared for anything," Severus explained to him.

"Marius Umbridge," he confirmed as he watched Severus transform into the barkeep.

"Okay?" Severus confirmed.

"Yep, good luck," Harry said as he handed him the wallet minus the ID.

"Gods, you're worse than I thought," Severus said to Marius as he approached him, Neville and Fitz.

"I can help," Fitz offered pointedly.

"No I got him," Severus said as he yanked Marius from his grasp.

"Terry'll get me home," Marius drawled as he slapped an arm around Severus' shoulders.

"Show me the way...it's hard to tell at night," Severus explained.

"No problem old friend," Marius said as they started to walk together.

Harry, Fitz, Luna and Neville followed them at a distance as they wavered down the laneway.

"You sure put one on tonight," Severus tried to joke.

"Holed up with that lot," Marius slurred. "I deserve a fucking medal."

"I couldn't do it," Severus agreed, trying to think of a way to get more information from him.

"Won't be long though and..." Marius started but then stopped, his face suddenly going green. "I feel like shit, mother will be so pissed."

"She will be," Severus agreed. "But she'll forgive you, she always does."

They continued to meander down the road, slowly progressing forward.

"Your place is unplottable Marius, you need to invite me or I can't go in and get you to the door," Severus broached the subject.

"I'll be okay once we get a little further, I'll get myself in," Marius hiccupped.

Severus' mind reeled. He put saw a large rock up ahead and directed Marius towards it. Marius didn't see it and tripped, taking them both to the ground.

"Fuck!" Marius swore loudly as he held his knee.

"You shithead!" Severus said trying to sound vexed.

"Sorry Terry," Marius apologized. "Not as good on my feet as I thought."

The two men slowly stood and started down the path again.

"You better let me at least get you in the house or your mother will have your ass," Severus said.

"Fuck, that's right!" Marius laughed.

They stumbled another 20 paces before Marius stopped.

"Hallows" Marius said. "It's hallows."

Five paces later Severus felt something stop him from walking further.

"Hallows," Severus said and they walked through the barrier together.

Harry, Neville, Luna and Fitz watched them vanish into thin air right before their eyes.

Severus sighed in relief when he saw the house ahead of them. The house, he was sure Hermione and Tirion were being held in.

"You're a good friend Terry," Marius said as he patted his back.

"What are friends for?" Severus asked.

"Hallows," Marius slurred when they got to the door.

It whipped open and they entered the darkened room.

"Stupefy! Stupefy!" Hermione's voice called out of the blackness and both men fell to the ground.


	31. Chapter 31

"What'll we do? How can we help?" Luna asked anxiously as she starred at the space where her professor once was.

"Nothing for now," Fitz said as he started to pace. "Either Marius has to invite us or his mother. What do you think the chances of that happening are?"

"Slim to none," Neville muttered as he wrapped an arm around Luna. It was summer but there was a slight chill to the air.

"I hope they're okay," Luna said softly.

"How did you know about Marius, Luna?" Harry asked.

"I didn't," Luna explained. "But I knew from the start that Professor Snape wasn't Tirion's biological father."

"Hermione told you?" Harry asked, shocked she knew something he didn't.

"No, she didn't have to," Luna explained. "Professor Snape has a different feeling than the baby, I knew he wasn't connected to her through genealogy. It's a gift I have."

"Some gift," Fitz muttered.

"I just knew there was something familiar about him when we bumped into each other, but I just couldn't put my finger on it," Luna explained. "It bothered me all day."

"So, how'd you figure it out?" Harry asked interested.

"You know how after an orgasm, you mind goes completely blank?" Luna asked them without a bit of shyness as Neville started to shift next to her. "It was then that it came to me."

Harry suddenly grew very interested in his feet, "That's...that's great, er, Luna."

"I thought so," Luna said wistfully as she snuggled up to Neville.

Fitz couldn't help but smirk at the situations that he, as an Auror, sometimes found himself in and the strange people he met along the way.

* * *

Almost ten minutes later Severus became conscious again and saw his beautiful wife and daughter before him. They appeared to be, mainly unharmed. Hermione looked like she had a split lip and Tirion was wailing, but they were at least together. His heart nearly burst with joy and he wanted to run to them and hold them to his chest. He was prevented however by the ropes tying him up.

Hermione was pacing on the other side of the room, his and Marius' wands lay on the table across the room. Marius was still unconscious next to him and tied up as well. Dolores Umbridge was across the room silently screaming because of a muffalato spell Hermione had cast on her. Severus was surprised the spell wasn't quite perfect though, you could still hear her muffled yells calling Hermione a mudblood bitch.

"Love, it's me," Severus began, knowing his appearance would startle her.

"Don't talk to me or you'll get the same as her!" Hermione snapped at him.

"It's me, Severus," he continued. "I polyjuiced myself to be a barman so I could get in here to you and Tirion."

She looked at him shocked, but still disbelieving.

"How's Tirion? Is she okay? They haven't harmed you, have they?" He asked.

"Shut up!" Hermione yelled at him, although he could tell she was looking at him strangely.

"We...we were married on Christmas Eve," Severus began. "It was a rushed affair and then we went to see your parents."

"Anyone could know that," Hermione said as she bounced Tirion in her arms trying to calm her.

Severus could see she was exhausted and on the verge of snapping.

"You're right, anyone could," Severus agreed with her. "Uh, we've been looking for you for days Hermione, and you don't know what a relief it is to see you and Tirion unharmed. We figured out it was Dolores and Marius Umbridge but this place is unplottable and..."

"Why are you trying to fool me? So I'll untie you? Well, I won't!" She snapped at him.

"No, I don't want you to untie me," Severus said softly. "You're smart to keep us all like this. It was a good move to Stupefy. But, you can leave now Hermione. Potter and the others are waiting just outside the barrier. The password to is Hallows. Take Tirion and leave now."

"This is a trap, right?" Hermione laughed. "I might be tired but I'm not that gullible."

"It's not a trap love," Severus explained as he watched her sit and look at him. "Pick up my wand and see."

"You've got it rigged?" She asked looking at the two wands sitting on the table.

"No, if you hold it and think of me...forget it," Severus said frustrated. "Just take Tirion and go, I'll figure out a way out of this for myself."

Hermione shook her head and raised Dolores' wand to cast a muffalato spell on him when he quickly spoke.

"Maya the Magpie!" Severus yelled.

"What did you say?" She asked as tears formed in her eyes.

"It was the book I gave you for Tirion," he started to explain as he looked at her jaw drop. "My grandmother used to read it to me as a child and I wanted our child to have it too."

"There...there are purchase...there are purchase records that could..." she stammered.

"I told you about my childhood that night," he went on. "About my grandmother's death and living with my parents afterwards."

She looked at him confused and shook her head.

"Potter and the Weasleys apparated into our hotel room on New Years," he said with a smirk. "And we spent our one month anniversary at an Inn in Hogsmeade and were late for class the next day because of a snowstorm. You cast a drying spell on the cuffs of my pants and robe while I started the class."

"Severus?" She asked as she looked at him astonished.

"Tirion has slept between us in our bed every night since she was born and you kept on taking pictures of me with that damn camera of yours even though I looked like shit," Severus said softly. "You were scared during delivery but so, so brave, and I was angry with you for not waking me when you first started contractions."

Tears fell down her face as she looked at him.

"We...we weren't in love when we married, but I am so in love with you right now I can't even begin to describe how important you and Tirion are to me. I've been going mad, Hermione."

"Oh, my god, Severus!" She said rising from her seat to undo his ropes.

"No!" Severus called. "You can't be sure, leave me tied."

"What?" She asked.

He sighed. "You and Tirion need to be safe and until I turn back into myself you need to keep your guard up."

She looked at him confused. Only her husband could have this type of logic.

"Use the password Hermione, and get Tirion to safety," Severus implored her. "Potter, Lovegood, Longbottom and an Auror named Fitz are waiting just outside the barrier to this place. Go to them."

"But it's unplottable," she said softly. "If I leave I can't get back in without an invitation and..."

She looked between Dolores who was almost purple with rage and Marius who was snoring in the corner.

"You'll be stuck here, tied up, with them, and no one could get in to help you," she said.

"I'll get out, don't worry about me, just leave with Tirion and..."

"No," she said softly. "You'll change back soon and we can leave together."

"Hermione," he groaned.

"No, I'm not leaving without you!" She snapped as she sat back down and started to feed Tirion.

He watched her with a sense of awe. Watching her feed their child was something else he had missed-it looked so right.

There was silence for several minutes.

"I've missed this," he said softly. "There's something so beautiful about you feeding her."

She looked up at him and smiled. She knew it was him, but it was all still a little disconcerting. She had to be safe until he really did change back.

"Why did you leave?" he asked, his voice breaking.

She looked up at him and saw the pain in his face. "I had to...I needed to go to her no matter what."

"But you could have told..." he began.

She just shook her head. "I couldn't risk it. I was willing to sacrifice myself if I could save her."

He nodded, knowing this was true.

"How did you figure it out?" She asked.

"Blood tests told us who the father was," he began.

"You're her father, Severus," Hermione interrupted.

He couldn't help but look at the man sleeping off his drink next to him, his body bound up as well.

"You are her father Severus," she said more assuredly. "He provided the sperm, but I don't want Tirion to have anything else that is his."

"Did you find out about your attack?" He asked softly.

"It was a medical procedure, not a physical attack," she said coolly.

"Oh," he nodded, not sure if one was really better than the other, as both her a violation of her person.

"The blood we found at the scene, was that...?"

"I pierced us both, I hoped that Harry's charm..."

"It did, but after 2 apparitions the trail went cold, there was vomit and..."

"I turned sick with all the apparating, I'm sorry."

Severus shook his head; she didn't have to apologize for anything.

"This is silly, I know it's you and I should untie your..." she began.

"No!" He insisted. "Never let your guard down."

"Only you would insist I keep you this way," she said as she shook her head and sighed. "We could be home by now, you know."

He looked at her and shook his head more sternly. The room fell into silence again.

"Why did they do all this? Why the implantation and kidnapping and...?" Severus asked.

"Something to do with her husband's will and money," Hermione explained. "I couldn't figure out all the details, but they tried to implant some pureblood girls and lost the babies. I don't think Marius is able to...perform. In the end they finally resorted to a mudblood."

"Don't use that vile word," he said.

She looked down at Tirion feeding. "I've heard that word a lot lately."

"Did they harm you?" Severus asked.

"Nothing to worry about," she said softly. "They needed me as her nursemaid until they could get her on a bottle. But our little girl was stubborn."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a Snape," he smiled at her. He felt something wash over his body slowly. "Hermione, am I...?"

She looked across the room and saw him transform back into her husband. She launched herself across the room and kissed him soundly as Tirion stirred from her sleep.

"Oh gods, thank gods!" Hermione said as she untied him.


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note: This is the concluding chapter of this fic. Thank you soooo much to everyone who wrote reviews and followed it. I loved this experience and I hope you are happy with the ending. It's a little in the future (a few months) and short, but hopefully it satisfies. Thanks!**

"I'm exhausted," Hermione conceded as they approached the doors to Hogwarts, trudging through the snow.

"Testifying most of the day will do that to a person," Severus said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Come on, we're almost there."

"Are you even close to being ready for the students tomorrow?" She asked as she looked up at him.

"No more ready than I was at start of term, but I've survived," he chucked as he squeezed her shoulder.

"Tirion has been quite the distraction, hasn't she?" Hermione smiled up at him.

"My daughter has a way of making everyday interesting," Severus agreed. "More interesting than students and potions."

"True," Hermione giggled. "And if we could just get her to sleep through the night..."

"Merlin, yes!" He chuckled.

Hermione laughed with her husband as the doors to the castle flew open and a young Slytherin named Prudence greeted them. "Professor Snape, Mrs Snape...the Headmistress has Tirion in her office."

"She's already in trouble?" Hermione giggled.

"The Headmistress was...she was complaining about the dampness of the dungeons and her joints," Prudence explained. "She said Tirion could be with her in her rooms."

"Ah," Severus nodded. "Thank you Prudence."

"I'd be more than happy to watch her during dinner again," Prudence practically bounced with glee as only 13 year olds seem to be able to do.

"That would be great Prudence," Hermione said quickly before Severus could say no.

"Great! I'll see you then!" She said as she bounded up the stairs.

"I can't show preferent..." Severus said softly.

"Severus she's one of 8 children that stayed for the Christmas break," Hermione said as they mounted the stairs. "She's happy to help and I'm happy to eat warm food. We all win."

He humphed and climbed the stairs next to her. When they got to the Headmistresses office the doors opened and they approached her desk to see Tirion happily bouncing in her chair on Minerva's desk, throwing a rattle that Minerva levitated back to her whenever it hit the floor.

"Minerva," Severus said as they approached.

"How did it go?" She asked as she put down what she was reading.

"My testimony is finally done," Hermione said as she picked up Tirion who gave a squeal of delight. "They'll probably have a ruling by month's end."

"They're convicting, you can see that plain as day," Severus explained. "It's just a matter of how much time in Azkaban."

"Hopefully he'll get a life sentence like his mother," Minerva said as she watched Hermione happily bounce Tirion. The baby, and her Potion master's happiness wonderful by-products of this horrible incident.

"If she'd have let me Avada them like I wanted to..." Severus muttered. It had been quite the argument in the cottage once he'd transformed back to himself. He had wanted to Avada Dolores and her evil son, leave the bodies to rot in the cottage and walk away knowing it would be an unplottable cottage. Unless the Auror department took it on as a pet project, no one would be the wiser.

"And have you end up there? No thank you," Hermione said as she handed Tirion to him. He accepted their daughter with a smile on his face and she grabbed a chunk of his hair and pulled.

"Hermione is right Severus," Minerva agreed. "This is the better way. And with the closed courts..."

"The information about Tirion's conception is safe," Severus continued as he unwound his daughter's hand from a lock of his hair.

"Our story stands," Hermione said as she patted Severus on the shoulder and made a silly face at her daughter.

"And what a story it is," Minerva muttered.

"Pardon?" Severus asked, confused.

"Who would have thought that this hair brained scheme of yours would have worked?" Minerva chuckled.

"It wasn't hair brained," Severus said, slightly bothered by her statement.

"It was a little, Severus, you must admit," Hermione said as she kissed him on the cheek. "But I wouldn't have had it any other way."

"You were pleased with our daughter being kid..." Severus turned to look at her surprised.

"Of course not!" Hermione snapped at him. "I mean, despite the conception and kidnapping...I'm happy with my family, are you?"

Severus looked at his beautiful wife as he held his daughter in his arms and smiled. Life was quite perfect for Severus Snape.

"Always," he smiled.

THE END


End file.
